Princess Maeve Moran's wedding day was supposed to be a day she had dreamed of. When a violent coup breaks out in the capital city, her life is turned upside down as she witnesses the murder of her father, The King, her mother, her brother, Heir to the Throne, and her fiancé, Rian Doherty. Stripped of her magic and left for dead, Maeve is rescued by Dedra Blos, a royal seamstress, and Tiernan Demaris, an army alchemist. Determined to recapture all she has lost, Maeve vows revenge against the usurpers who stole all but the breath from her lungs.

Under Tiernan's guidance, Maeve is sent to the infamous Báscogar Prison, nestled deep within the Romiodóg mountains, to train alongside Gálgalesh, the faerie Warden. However, in a world where even her identity must be kept secret, she finds her life hanging in the balance at every moment. When she encounters Eoghan Kael, a fiery Tinemallacht warrior who harbors a deep-seated hatred for her, she truly learns just how precarious her fight for survival and retribution has become.

As Maeve immerses herself in her training, she discovers shocking truths about her heritage and the deceptive nature of her upbringing within the castle walls.

Can she make it through with her head-and her heart-to retrieve all she has lost and restore her place in the castle once more? Or will the price of love and secrets cost more than death ever could?