"At the edge of the Russian wilderness, Vasilisa spends the winter nights huddled near the fire with her siblings, listening to her nurse's fairy tales. She loves the chilling story of Frost, the winter demon, who claims unwary souls. Wise Russians fear him and honor the spirits of house, yard, and forest that protect their homes from evil. After Vasilisa's mother dies, her father goes to Moscow and brings home a new wife. Fiercely devout, city-bred, Vasilisa's stepmother forbids her family from honoring household spirits. The family acquiesces, but Vasilisa senses that more hinges upon their rituals than anyone knows." -- Back cover.

In a village at the edge of the wilderness of northern Russia, where the winds blow cold and the snow falls many months of the year, a stranger with piercing blue eyes presents a new father with a gift-- a precious jewel on a delicate chain, intended for his young daughter. Uncertain of its meaning, Pytor hides the gift away and Vasya grows up a wild, willful girl, to the chagrin of her family. But when mysterious forces threaten the happiness of their village, Vasya discovers that, armed only with the necklace, she may be the only one who can keep the darkness at bay.