Isobel Amsel is wasting away in an asylum. Mad with boredom, she recklessly risks her future wandering the countryside. When an excursion nearly turns deadly, Isobel fears one of her enemies is targeting her, but she quickly discovers something far more insidious. The lives of two boys are at stake, and she desperately wishes her partner were by her side.

But Atticus Riot has problems of his own. With Bel sidelined, he's left juggling an exhausting caseload. His finances are in ruins, his agency is bankrupt, and his daughters are fighting. Then a strange young man shows up at Ravenwood manor, and Riot is thrown in the path of a dangerous rival.