The small English village of Wall is named for the long granite wall that runs alongside it and separates England from Faerie. The wall has a small opening guarded by two men at all hours so nobody passes through. However, once every nine years the rule is relaxed so people can attend the fair on the other side. People come from all over the world. One year, Dunstan Thorn is 18 years old and resenting the influx of tourists. In the Seventh Magpie, the local pub, two men are fighting for a local woman named Bridget Comfrey. One man, Tommy, is badly beaten. However, he wins Bridget’s sympathy. Meanwhile, Dunstan is courting a girl named Daisy, “a young woman of similar practicality” (8). Daisy is impatient for Dunstan to propose.

As the fair approaches, Dunstan takes his turn guarding the wall and meets a man in a top hat in need of lodgings. He convinces Dunstan to rent out his cottage to him while Dunstan sleeps in the barn. In exchange, the stranger pays him in gold and promises him his “Heart’s Desire.” During the night, another stranger joins Dunstan in the barn to get out of the storm.