When Faeri is asked to use her magical song to assist in a birth that is not going quite right, she realizes that her power is greater and far more dangerous than she thought. And when shortly later a Nightmare creature appears, using its touch to taint her song-enchanted gifts, that newly-discovered danger escalates to nightmarish proportions. She thought she was helping people. But what if every one of her gifts is a liability, a way for the Nightmare to dig its touch, unsuspected, into people's souls?

But when a rare Nightmare creature almost consumes Faeri's soul, her dragon friend Chrysanthemum saves her with her fire, and Faeri wonders if there's any way dragonfire can guard her enchantments against the Nightmare, or if the damage already done is irreparable and she should never sing again.