Jetta's family is the most talented troupe of shadow players in the land. With Jetta behind the scrim their puppets seem to move without string or stick-- a trade secret they say. In truth Jetta uses the forbidden old ways to bind the souls of the recently departed to the puppets with her blood. When the family earns a spot aboard the royal ship to Aquitan they hear rumors the Mad King has a spring that cures his ills. Now Jetta will face decisions that she never imagined-- and safety seems far away.