In the year 1290, the fourteen-year-old daughter of a knight is known to be marriageable material. Catherine, called Little Bird or Birdy, daughter of Sir Rollo and the Lady Aislinn, considers herself anything but. She is feisty, headstrong, earthy, perceptive and funny, though she lives in crowded conditions full of violence, filth, fleas - and superstition as well. While Catherine is able to bend the customs of the times (she drives off a number of suitors), she is unable to break them. She's up against a father who is determined to marry her off profitably. It soon becomes apparent from whom Catherine inherits her strong will. Nevertheless, she ultimately emerges - while not exactly triumphant - with hopes and high spirits intact. The book, with Birdy as narrator, is contemporary in attitude and does not waste a word.