A graceful but aging Imperial Courtesan, Miranda's mother had once danced before the Emperor and afterwards, she had refused to be his Queen. Now, year by year, she moves the two of them in a slow but determined and ever widening spiral away from the Imperial City and its glittering court. The despair of a long line of dancing masters, inept at charm and too bluntly outspoken to ever swim the sea of Imperial politics, Miranda is not the stuff Imperial Courtesans are made of. In a fading town at the ragged edge of empire, Miranda's mother takes up a delicate dance of intrigue on the arm of the provincial governor. Underfoot at home, Miranda takes, as she always does, to the streets and to adventure. It looks to be just another boring city, but in a moment of serendipity Miranda encounters Jaivyn Lesane, eccentric and mysterious master of the local Imperial Library. He offers Miranda a job. To her own astonishment, she accepts. The Library, however, holds a great deal more than books, and Jaivyn is much more than a Librarian. His dark secrets could save or destroy them all. As the world she has always known begins to unravel, Miranda must find a way to find herself. If she can do that, she just might be able to save the ones she loves.