30-year-old Bronwyn Artair, feeling out of place in her doctoral program
in Atmospheric Sciences at MIT, drops out and takes a job as a TV
meteorologist, much to the dismay of her mentor, Diane Fenwick. After a
year of living alone in Southern New Hampshire, enduring the indignities
of her job, dumped by her boyfriend, she discovers her deep connection
to the natural world has given her an ability to affect natural forces.
When she finally accepts she really possesses this startling capability,
she must then negotiate a new relationship to the world. Who will she
tell? Who will believe her? Most importantly, how will she put this new
skill of hers to use? As she seeks answers to these questions, she
travels to Kansas to see the tornado maverick she worships; falls in
love with Matt, the tabloid journalist who has come to investigate her;
visits fires raging out of control in Los Angeles; and eventually
voyages with Matt and Diane to the methane fields of Siberia. A woman
experiencing power for the first time in her life, she must figure out
what she can do for the world without hurting it further. The story
poses questions about science and intuition, women and power, and what
the earth needs from humans.
