Bergen, Norway. As the summer comes to an end, Herdis, a girl of about ten, sees her world shake: her parents are divorcing while the First World War breaks out. The echoes of history reach her ears through adult conversations: war, social conflicts, and soon, in Russia, a revolution.  Amidst this anxious and bustling murmur, Herdis, fierce and longing for affection, seeks her own music, in an instinctive and sensual apprehension of the world.

A magnificent coming-of-age novel, Music from a Blue Well delicately portrays the anxiety of a child who no longer finds her place but does not lose her wit or joy for life. The book is the second part of the Herdis Trilogy, which starts with The Magic Glass and concludes with By the Next New Moon.