This is the story of Tom, a former WWI soldier, turned lighthouse keeper, and his wife Isabel. They live alone on a small island off the coast of Australia and keep the light. Isabel has had three still born babies and when a baby and her dead father are washed up on the island, they decide to keep the baby. There were things I really liked about this book. Stedman is a good story teller. The setting is interesting. The characters could use a little more development. Tom is the only one who is well developed, and there are still many things we don't know about him. I had a hard time having sympathy for Isabel without thinking of her as a little nuts. I understand the pain of dealing with the inability to produce children. I won't deny that I had a fantasy about a baby being left on my doorstep. Even so, I could never have pretended that baby was mine like she did and once they chose that path, I was every bit as uncomfortable as Tom was in the story. Another troubling part was the way the child was removed from Tom and Isabel so abruptly. I really felt for her. I thought the ending was a little too convenient, but hey, everyone loves a happy ending, right? It should make an interesting book club discussion.