Zaya Shearwater has found a dragon, a partner, and a cause.

Her dragon is Bandit's Breath, stolen from her former employers in a moment of desperation, now her inseparable ally. Her partner in racing Bandit is her daughter, Vanako, as fierce and proud as ever but now committed to the family. And her cause is the legalization of yliaster, the substance that will protect her son — and tens of thousands of others like him, who are being slowly hunted by voracious entities that can't be killed.

But the fight isn't going well. Captains of industry want to see yliaster regulated for their own profit; everyday people are afraid of some of the things it can do. The police are dead set against it, and even Zaya's political allies are inconstant. And as she's throwing all her cash and time at a better world for the hunted tomorrow, every today could be her son's last.

That's where Zaya begins. But, as the election draws near, where will she go?