Alberto, the town's coffin maker, and Tito, a runaway boy, both lonely after suffering tragic losses, learn the power of friendship as they try to escape the shadows of their pasts.
Oona, nearly eleven, has longed to sail with her sea captain father but when she stows away on his ship headed to the far North, she faces great adventure and danger.
Left alone in Hodeldorf, the coldest city anywhere, Otto joins forces with Nim and other tattercoats, street children who steal to survive, to face evil forces and save the day.