The Patternmaker and the Tide

What does an old man do when he finds a baby washed on the shore? What does he do when a single young woman blarneys her way into his life? The intrusion, the baby & woman, causes all kinds of disturbances in the symmetry of his daily routine. The old man begins to feel lost in a society that he no longer recognizes and that seems populated by angry people who cannot hide their prejudices.