Years ago, they had escaped together from the ominous place with the Tombs of Atuan - she, a lonely young priestess, and he, a powerful wizard.
Now she is the widow of a farmer, having chosen a simple, ordinary life for herself: and he, a broken man mourning his lost power with no other choice. In their youth, they helped each other through darkness and countless dangers and shared incredible adventures like no one else. Now they must join forces and help someone else in need: a child, scarred in soul and body, with an unknown destiny.

"Tehanu" is the fourth book set in the Archipelago of Earthsea. It was released in 1990, about twenty years after the Earthsea trilogy with the subtitle "The Last Book of Earthsea," followed by two more.

In this volume, Ursula Le Guin continues the stories of Tenar, the heroine of the second book of the Cycle (The Tombs of Atuan) and Ged, the hero of the first book (A Wizard of Earthsea).

"Tehanu" has won Nebula and Locus awards.