In the Blue Pike — Volume 03

The narrative follows a wandering rope-dancer named Kuni whose failing health and restless spirit lead her on a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela and beyond. Penniless and weakened, she becomes caregiver to a mute, sickly child owned by a rough, feigning-mad couple; tending the child awakens fierce maternal devotion and a conviction that the child's soul is a reincarnation of a girl for whom Kuni once felt culpable. As the child's condition improves under Kuni's care, the woman pursues atonement, grapples with guilt and religious ideas, and hopes for personal reconciliation with a man whose regard she longs to regain.