prehistory meets history in medieval England
Neandertals from a planet in a nearby solar system crash-land in medieval England at a time of crisis. One of them is a young girl called Illg, who is fifteen years old(in Earth years) at the start of the book. These Neandertals have some abilities unknown to "modern" humans, and Illg is especially powerful in these abilities. The survivors, Illg and her cousin Ren, immediately get caught up in the events of the time, and meet many people, some historical characters, others fictional, who have varying reactions to them. Illg is drawn to two of the "modern" men, and they are also, to her, as she learns to negotiate her way through dramatic events in a seemingly strange and sometimes hostile environment.