In a quiet Swiss village, two children from feuding families meet by chance in a sunlit meadow—and their innocent friendship blossoms into a love that defies the hatred surrounding them. Sali and Vrenchen are the Romeo and Juliet of the countryside, caught in a bitter land dispute that has ruined both their fathers. As the years pass, their bond deepens, but the weight of family enmity and poverty closes in. One golden summer day, they steal a few hours of happiness at a village fair and a dance under the stars, only to find themselves pursued by a mysterious fiddler who offers them a dark choice. Their final, desperate journey down the river on a hay barge becomes one of literature's most poignant and tragic endings. This faithful modern retelling brings Keller's classic to life in clear, vivid prose for today's readers, preserving the heart of the original while shedding the archaic style. Part of Timeless Classics.