When her brother Marco unexpectedly elopes, Serafina of House Galeazzo is left alone with their distant father and domineering mother. Forced to step up and take part in the magical dueling society that Marco always shielded her from, Serafina must find her footing and manage to move forward, all the while wishing she escaped with her brother.

Lorenzo of House Valier was Marco's best friend, and had no idea that he was going to vanish into thin air. Now he's left without his closest confidante since childhood and, and that damnable sister left to fill that hole in their dueling circle. Why couldn't she have been the one to depart?

As the circle works to hone their skills, practice and occasional bloodshed bring them closer together. Serafina learns more about her magical spark, unable to disentangle herself from Lorenzo, until one fateful night after a tournament when he is the only place she can turn.