Selkies are found in Irish and Scottish folklore, shape-shifting creatures who take the form of a seal in the sea and a human on land. To take human form, a selkie must cast off its magical sealskin. If the skin is lost or stolen, the selkie is doomed to remain a human. If a human man captures the skin of a selkie woman she is forced to remain as his bride. But if she should find her skin, she will always return to the sea-sometimes taking her children with her. The Island is a contemporary twist on this ancient story.