In the kingdom of Sempera, time is extracted from blood, bound to iron, and consumed to add time to one's own lifespan. The rich aristocrats like the Gerling family tax the poor to the hilt, extending their own lives by centuries. No one resents the Gerlings more than Jules Ember; she and her father were once servants at their estate, Everless, until an accident drove them away. After discovering her father is dying, Jules is desperate to earn more time for him, and returns to Everless amidst preparations for the wedding of Roan Gerling and the Queen's daughter. Caught in a tangle of violent secrets, Jules must change her fate-- and perhaps the fate of time itself.