Knot doesn't remember how they came to live with Bigman, nor whether their name is actually Knot. Bigman calls, and Knot answers. Not a boy. Not a girl. Not getting any bigger over the past twenty years.

John Bigman makes enough money selling good weather to those who believe his claims of magic to keep the bank from taking the unfinished lighthouse where he lives in an uneasy truce with Knot. Bigman still bleeds from where Knot bit him years ago, and they still sometimes try to stab him during arguments.

Most of the time, the two get along. Knot watches tv in their room. Bigman plays video games in his library. They go fishing, with Knot catching most of the fish and Bigman dozing among the mangroves that have infested their beach.

But Bigman is getting old. His control over Knot has been slipping. His strength was barely enough to foil Knot's last attempt at running away. That was before Knot found allies, who have their own reasons for wanting Knot to escape from the lighthouse.