The story revolves around a young girl who lives with her mother in a small village on the edge of a vast desert. The villagers believe that the sand-dunes are inhabited by evil spirits and warn their children to stay away from them. One day, the girl's curiosity gets the better of her and she decides to explore the dunes despite her mother's warnings. She ventures deeper into the dunes than anyone has ever gone before and becomes lost in the endless expanse of sand. As night begins to fall, the girl is forced to take shelter in a small cave. There, she meets an old woman who claims to be a spirit of the desert. The old woman tells the girl that she has been chosen to receive a special gift from the spirits: the ability to see into the hearts of all living things. The girl returns home and uses her newfound power to help those in need, but soon realizes that her gift comes with a terrible cost: every time she sees into someone's heart, they are consumed by darkness and despair.
By Hans Christian Andersen · First published 1838 · Genre: Fairy Tale, Fantasy, Adventure