Deep in the swamps of Florida, a grieving park ranger forms a friendship with a mysterious recluse—and uncovers long-rumored secrets about a plant that raises the dead.

Once ambitious and spontaneous, all park ranger Miranda wants after losing her best friend is stillness. Her new job at Everglades National Park and the rekindled connection with an old flame offer some stability and comfort. But everything changes after a rash decision brings her face-to-face with the so-called swamp witch.

In Estelle, Miranda finds an unexpected friendship. The old woman is feisty, independent, and extraordinarily green-thumbed. Plants, Estelle tells her, have a language of their own. Miranda learns to listen to the whispers of peace lilies and desert roses, and witnesses their uncanny power to heal or reveal hidden truths.

But a hurricane brews off the coast, and tensions rise. Rumors spread about Estelle’s abilities, including her knowledge of the rare ghost orchid said to resurrect the dead—bringing the most dangerous kind of grief to Estelle’s doorstep.

In the lush Everglades, the swamp can grow, transform—or destroy. Miranda discovers that true growth means releasing the grief that keeps us rootbound. And somewhere, in the tangled heart of the swamp, the ghost orchid waits.

Dani Cessna grew up roaming the woods and nature-journaling in tree stands. A park ranger and naturalist for eighteen years, she has lived in five states and worked at six different national parks. She wages a war against endometriosis every day but never lets it stand between her and the next book or next adventure. She currently resides in the Poconos of Pennsylvania with her best friend, two dogs, three cats, thirty or so koi, two American eels, and an indeterminate number of snapping turtles, depending on when the eggs in her sunroom hatch.