Island up close. For half a year, Carmen Rohrbach roams the young volcanic island at the edge of the inhabited world, which attracts more visitors each year than it has residents. On solitary hikes in the highlands, she observes the wild fauna, climbs to the mysterious crater Askja, and ascends the summit of the Queen of Mountains, Herðubreið. She camps beneath the massive eruption cloud of the infamous volcano Eyjafjallajökull, accompanies the annual sheep drive near a farm in the northwest of the island, and immerses herself in the vibrant life of the capital Reykjavík and the artists' village of Vik at the southernmost tip of Iceland. A travel narrative of overwhelming intensity and diversity.