In the Dominions, the dead linger, violent and unpredictable, unless a bonesmith severs the ghost from its earthly remains. For bonesmith Wren, becoming a valkyr - a ghost-fighting warrior - is a chance to solidify her place in the noble House of Bone but when she fails her trial, she is exiled to the Wall.

When the House of Gold prince is kidnapped and taken beyond the Wall,  she has a chance at redemption. Forced into an uneasy alliance with a rival ironsmith from the House of Iron, Wren uncovers a dark alliance that is brewing between the living and the undead.

When the Corpse Queen, a ghostsmith with the terrifying power to control the undead, creates an army of near unbeatable undead soldiers, Wren must learn to control her new, confront family betrayal, and face the looming war to save the Dominions from complete destruction.