A young man travels through a foreign country and gets swept up in a religious conflict while being haunted by the ghost of a woman. Jevick is a young man from the island of Tyom. His father owns a plantation, and hires a tutor from the major trading country of Olondria to teach Jevick to write and speak Olondrian.
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As a result Jevick falls in love with books and poetry, and all things Olondrian. The island peoples are superstitious and rural, and have no written languages, so Jevick feels increasingly isolated and different from his countrymen as he becomes educated. He is eager to travel but only gets the opportunity when his father dies and Jevick must replace him on the next trading trip. On the ship over he meets a young woman from a neighboring island who has a terminal illness which islanders view as a curse. Jevick is not superstitious, so he spends time reading to her from his Olondrian poetry books.
Once in Olondria Jevick is delighted with all the bookstores and opportunities for cultural exploration. He is warned to stay indoors during the Feast of Birds, a Carnaval-style event that takes over the city streets. He joins the crowds anyway and has a wonderful time up until he blacks out and wakes the next day feeling sick. On the way back to his lodgings he catches a glimpse of the girl from the ship and knows she is a ghost.
From then on he is haunted by her ghost, believing she was buried in the ground against the practices of the islanders who burn their dead to free their spirits. His inquiries lead him to discover that his condition is known in Olondria. In older times there was a cult that worshiped these ghosts (called "angels" in Olondria) and considered those who could communicated with them to be saints. The cult and its practices were outlawed under a new government, and the plight of the haunted "saints" declared to be strictly psychological in nature.
Jevick becomes increasingly ill until his landlord turns him in to the authorities. He is sent to a sanatorium where he discovers that the cult of the angels is still very much alive and in a power struggle with the current authorities. They rescue him and promise to help him recover the body of the girl from the ship so it can be burned properly, but in return they want him to participate in their rituals. Jevick reluctantly agrees and they travel north to accomplish this. Jevick finally talks to the ghost and she demands that he write a book of her story.
Jevick refuses, just wanting to be free, but then the travelers are discovered by the authorities and have to flee without recovering the body. He and one of the wounded cultists end up hiding in an abandoned mansion during the winter, afraid to go out for fear of discovery. With no food or medicine for the wounded man, Jevick finally has no recourse but to make a deal with the ghost; if she will help them survive, he will write her story down.
Best part of story, including ending:
The descriptions of the culture and legends of Olondria are very vivid and make you want to know more about even minor participants and throwaway bits of folklore.
Best scene in story:
When Jevick first arrives in the city of Bain, he is excited by things and landmarks he has read about but still completely new to everything. It reminded me of my first time traveling to places like London.
Opinion about the main character:
Jevick is your classic bookworm type, so I liked him a lot. He is delighted at everything new and eager for knowledge and experiences, it's wonderful seeing the new country through his eyes.
