In a city for the dead, having powers over life is seen as a curse. This is the lonely existence Nepha has faced. On the even before her 18th birthday, her only friend Caius warns her that necromancers plan to kill her. To save her, the two escape into the Wastelands beyond the city. But the treacherous Waste is forbidden for a reason, and the pair soon become separated.
Alone in a strange land, Nepha is captured by roaming bandits. But the bandit leader, the infamous Red Hand, is so much different than the stories she’s heard. He seems kind, and he’s on a secret mission to discover the heart that could bring life back to the darker corners of this dying world. Torn between her desire to find Caius and her growing fascination with the Red Hand, Nepha will have to decide if she wants to be an outcast forever or perhaps find her place in this world.