Elizia Milton would give up a life of proper society in the city of Portshead if only her employer, scholar Samson Barnaby, would choose her as his apprentice in his studies of old books and finally let her in on all his secrets. She works long hours, gives up time being a mechanic for the steam technology movement, misses out on socializing with her friends, and is duty-bound to the old scholar's every whim and will. She deserves the apprenticeship. She deserves to know all those secrets!But Barnaby insists that the job is far too dangerous for her, and she's shocked when he chooses someone else for the job. To be sure, all manner of dangers come from words, but what could be so bad about a pile of old books?As Elizia and her friends discover, however, more than just secrets are at stake as the steam-powered city faces an energy crisis of such magnificent proportions it could disrupt their whole way of life... and it might just be what's hidden inside Barnaby's books that can stop it.