"Once the dam is built, the valley will be flooded. But before the homes there are submerged, Kathryn and her father return one last time to fill the houses with music. If you listen closely, you can still hear it--a song for all that was. Set in the wild and beautiful landscape of Northumberland, England, The Dam is a story of loss and hope and the power of folk music to transcend time."--Dust jacket flap. ''This is a true story. It was told to me by Mike and Kathryn Tickell. Kielder Water is the largest artificial lake in the UK. It is in North Northumberland, a wild and beautiful place, rich in folk music, story and legend. It was created in the late 70s and early 80s. A great dam was constructed across the Kielder Valley, a place of farms, a school, several homesteads and a stretch of the Border Counties Railway. The valley took two years to fill with water. Kielder is now a place for walking, fishing, boating. It is part of the Northumberland International Dark Sky Park, the fourth largest in the world.''--David Almond, postscript.