When 29-year-old biology student Rona returns to the Orkney Islands after more than a decade away, memories of her childhood merge with the past ten years of her life in London. She recalls wilder times when she got lost in the Hackney party scene and fell in love with Daynin. But gradually, alcohol took over, and Rona lost everything and everyone she cared for. Now sober, Rona finds herself lonely and disconnected from the world around her, staying with her religious mother and helping her bipolar father on the sheep farm where she grew up.
Without any expectations, Rona takes on a summer job for the RSPB, doing a survey of the elusive corncrake bird, which brings her to every inhabited island of Orkney. She initially has no eyes for the landscape and remains stuck in a spiral of shame and regret. As Rona tries to find stability in her new routine, she suppresses memories of her life in London. However, the past continues to follow her, and slowly, the mystical land surrounding her begins to infiltrate her inner world.
In a moment of weakness, when everything seems to fall apart, Rona decides to isolate herself on the small island of Papay for the winter. There, amidst the heavy gales, darkness, and bracingly cold sea, she finds unexpected comfort and joy within the small community. Taking one day at a time, Rona starts to come to terms with all that led her on this journey toward recovery and finally discovers hope for her future.
