This novel is based around a small village called Chust, in Romania. Chust is a small 17th century village surrounded by a large and sinister wood, full of shadows of unease. The villagers were frightened of the wood, and all that it contained. They were wary of ‘outsiders’ and were led by tradition. They especially believed in the Miorita, a song about a shepherd murdered by his fellows and through a lamb, he sends word to his mother that he is not dead but has gone to ‘marry a princess from a distant land.’ They believed in vampires and ghouls and the Shadow Queen.Peter and Tomas lived a nomadic life. They moved from place to place and were not accepted in Chust. They were wood-cutters and lived on a little island with flowing water around it. Peter does not understand the significance of this moat and thinks it is just an attempt to try and bond with him. It was the first time in years where Peter and Tomas were working together and enjoying it. It is a metaphor of their own existence; lonely, isolated and secretive.
