Initially the work was created as the sixth penultimate part of the ballet `Maa` Earth but later began to be performed as an independent concert number.
The title alludes to the image of a fall into the underworld. The musical development follows this concept the piece begins in a high register and gradually expands its range.
The live sound of the harp is processed in real time using software Max/MSP which creates the effect of a three-dimensional cosmic space.
In 1995 Saariaho together with Tuija Hakkila created an arrangement of this piece for harpsichord and electronics.