Jonathan Berger, known locally as The Bergermeister, is the head of Bergerton’s illustrious (and eponymous) Berger family. The Bergers have prospered in the town ever since the day when Jon’s great-great-grandfather refused to move from the very spot where his donkey cart had toppled over on the side of the road. Fortune smiles upon them all—until a catastrophic fire strikes on the night of the annual Feast of Sullivan, and they find themselves lost and scattered to the winds.

Runaway grandchildren, a pitchfork-armed local militia lost to the wars in the north, rival churches, a home for wayward boys, goat caves converted to a makeshift prison: their tortuous adventures are seemingly endless. But as they explore the wild world beyond the confines of their little town, circling ever nearer to the great island City, they also discover the connections that hold steadfast between them, no matter what the distance.

Narrated by a witch whose knack for storytelling far outstrips her questionable magical talent, this charming debut paints a world where anything might happen—and most of it does.