Helen Bell has changed since facing off with Mara Rouge in the Quarrel of Sword and Bone. But so has Winter. When a Timepiece crosses the intersect to give Helen a set of three warnings in the form of a puzzle, she's forced to re-enter the world she thought she might never see again to solve it before she meets a deadly end. But things are different in Winter. Things that were once proudly colourful have been painted red, and the Patrolman who swore to always be there for her has his own demons to face. Helen is forced to hide in plain sight by impersonating a Red Kingdom celebrity, all to follow the leads and solve the Timepiece's puzzle before she's taken and Winter's last Carrier of Truth is silenced forever.