Maaijke, a young Dutch woman, born in 1815, vividly imagines herself into other places and times —leading her to fall in love with Peter, a U.S. Navy pilot and Vietnam veteran. Their romance entangles them on two continents as their impossible fates converge, diverge, and reconverge.

Maaijke De Jongh, an irresistibly happy tomboy, a daughter of a Dutch farming family, grows into a young woman of immense curiosity, great vitality, and extraordinary imagination. Her desire for adventure is so strong that she transports herself into other times and places. But because she only imagines these travels, she is unable to interact with those she encounters, such as Beatrix Potter in London, or Gustave Eiffel in Paris where he is building a widely ridiculed tower. When her absolute concentration falters, she is thrust back into the confines of the 19th century life she knows. When Maaijke travels forward to her own town of Spackenburg in 1971, her imaginary journey suddenly changes as she becomes a fully embodied woman — and meets Peter Maasen. Peter, a recently discharged Navy pilot emotionally scarred by his experience in Viet Nam, is searching for his Dutch ancestral roots. He asks Maaijke, seemingly an historical docent dressed in period costume, for restaurant directions. Thus begins a love affair that lasts several furiously passionate days—until Maaijke’s concentration lapses. On her journey back home to 1833, she carries Peter’s unborn son.