Two years ago, Marissa Graff stood on the steps of a rainy, St. Louis brownstone and listened to a Delving Council Master tell her that Helman Graff was still alive. Since then, Marissa has crisscrossed the country searching for any sign of her father. Ending up in the tiny town of Patchwork, Arizona, Marissa is approached by a representative of a mysterious Delving family. The man tells Marissa that he will help her find Helman Graff... for a price. At the same time, the Delving World at large is on the brink of a civil war. A sect of Delving families, unsatisfied with the way the Delving Council has favored the powerful over the meek, has splintered away to try and usurp the leaders of the Tradition. To quell this insurrection, the Council dispatches legions of assassins, or Tricolytes, to mete out their own brand of justice. After a personal tragedy, one of those assassins will begin to question her role in the Tradition, as well as the Council's motives; what she decides to do as a result could tip the balance as the Delving World prepares to implode.