A soirée gone horribly wrong. At the behest of a sinister alliance between the disdainful noble Lady Monica Arendt and Archbishop Mills, Carolina is abducted before the eyes of the man she loves—bound, silenced, and dragged toward unknown lands. She awakens mid-journey to find herself among a group of children: orphans from Celestia, all told they are on their way to new families. The truth is far darker: they are being trafficked and sold into slavery. With time running out, Edward and Teodore must find a way to reach Carolina before she is taken across the border and lost to them forever.
Meanwhile, Prince Gilbert embarks on a clandestine voyage to Celestia, seeking answers buried deep within the nation’s past. His investigation centers on Saint Claudia—the former Saint of Celestia, whose mysterious death may hold the key to breaking the Archbishop’s grasp and saving Carolina once and for all.