Red Riding Hood with a clockwork twist — Is Grandma in danger, or is Grandma the danger?

Russet and her friend Gareth the woodcutter train to become the Protectress and the Songster. They believe they must join forces in the LastNight ritual to keep their village prosperous and safe.

Their discovery of a dying race shakes Russet's faith in Grandmother's teachings. These mute, starving people seem more desperate to share a message of life and hope carved on alabaster tablets than to save their own lives. Are they hiding beneath the lake from the wolves and monsters prowling the woods, or are there even greater terrors to be faced?

Family betrayals and disappearing villagers make Russet wonder who she can trust and how she can keep searching for the truth. A terrifying fate awaits her village if she makes the wrong choice. Before the final clockwork turns, she must discover the real power she and Gareth can unleash by performing the Song and the Dance.