Saffi and her friends have escaped New Carrington, but the road they're on is treacherous and no one's sure who to trust. Ward hopes to travel to Golden Rock to meet with the Kessels, but Ebon wants them to flee to the Feral Isles to escape The Scholar's reach. Meanwhile, the town of New Carrington is in smolders, and the final assault on the estates of the aristocrats has begun as The Scholar reveals his true motivation. There's no safety on the horizon as enemies of old come back to haunt the living, and before the end a new town will burn as Saffi comes to grip with the part she's going to be forced to play in the coming war.