Tree-ear was so called after the mushroom that grew on tree trunks without benefit of parent seed. A good name for an orphan, Crane-man said.

Foraging in fields and on rubbish heaps, and sharing the food with his friend Crane-man, used to be enough to fill Tree-ear's days. But now all Tree-ear wants to do is watch master potter Min at work.

Ch'ulp'o is a potter's village, famous for delicate celadon ware, and Min is the most brilliant of all the potters in Ch'ulp'o. He is also known to be short-tempered. Even so, Tree-ear is drawn irresistibly to Min's workplace. He is fascinated by the miracle of the potter's craft and dreams of making a pot of his own someday. His quest leads him down unexpected paths, with hazards and rewards beyond imagining.

This account of a creative spirit on its journey toward fulfillment is set in twelfth-century Korea, where the course of a human destiny could be determined by a single celadon shard.

From the dust jacket