Raven, matria of the Raven's Troupe syndicate in Hertwolf, exorcizes a tight control over her city to ensure that the secret she carried for sixteen years remains safe.

Yet control is a tenuous thing, especially in a city that is poised to be the centre of a secession effort to make the Wastes its own nation. A sudden appearance from a loathed drug from her past, makes Raven realize her control isn't as tight as it should be. A realization that ill suits her as her half-sister, part of the secret, accidentally exposes part of it in an event that rocks the city.

The investigation answers few questions and raises several uncomfortable ones. Ones that make her realized her worst fear might come true; the fear of a distant past finally catching up with her.