Graham Joyce is a bright star of modern British literature, a subtle psychologist and master of a fascinating plot, an author who, according to the eminent Jonathan Carroll, writes exactly those books that we spend our whole lives hoping to find, but very rarely find. He masterfully dissects fears and intra-family hatred, delicately depicts the smoldering eroticism and vague sense of threat. Alex works as an archaeologist and excavates an ancient castle right within the city. His wife Maggie stays at home with the children and dreams of getting a degree in psychology at the local university. Their marriage has seen better days, as has the old house in which they live. And then one day, while dismantling the Victorian fireplace, they find in it the diary of the long-time mistress of the house - a herbalist, healer and, possibly, a witch. Unable to resist the diary's magic, Maggie embarks on one risky experiment after another - and unwittingly awakens her Dark Sister. Meanwhile, Alex makes a truly amazing discovery at his excavations... For the first time in Russian.