As a "coma diary", the reader learns of Misty Marie Wilmot as her husband lies senseless in a hospital after a suicide attempt.

Once she was an art student, dreaming of creativity and freedom, but after marrying Peter while they were both still at school and then giving birth to their daughter shortly after, she is eventually brought back to Waytansea Island.

But then, as if she was possessed by the spirit of the fabled Waytansea artist Maura Kincaid, Misty begins painting again, excessively and compulsively.

During middle age, her husband dies, followed by all her children, resulting in a wave of great artistic creativity, the product of which is mesmerizing to the observing audience.

The result is a huge insurance claim which leaves the remaining island citizens wealthy enough to support their luxurious lifestyles for the next four generations, at which point a new young artist will be found to repeat the cycle.