"Soot watched the first stars blink to life in the dusk-covered sky. The familiar glow of of them burned in her, warming her bones, pulsing gold to the beat of her heart. If she closed her eyes she could pretend
that she was out there, in the light, and not standing in an alley in the middle of the city,
​boots caked with mud and face numb from the cold and fog."​

✦ ✦ ✦

Soot, a mechanic expert and space-traveler,  is stranded on a primitive planet where her science is considered magic. With the help of Dipper, her bonded star-spirit, she has spent years rebuilding her ship from scavenged materials. Now, at a time when starlume is feared and Luminals like her are hunted, they must find a way to return to the stars amid the growing unrest of a country on the brink of a rebellion. 

Kenzo, a spy imbedded in the underground, believes Soot is the key to infiltrating the Leerie rebellion. This is his last chance to live up to his mother’s name and to right the wrongs of his past. Torn between loyalty to his government and loyalty to the people, he must choose for himself which path to take. 

And Lander, reluctant leader of the Leerie rebellion, is forced to turn to the friend he betrayed for help to save the people he can no longer protect. Afflicted with dust scars and running out of time, he must find a way to balance his desire for peace with the war he must fight.
The three are forced to work together to avert a civil war that would tear the city apart. As tensions escalate and the streets turn violent, Soot has to decide how much she is willing to sacrifice to secure her own freedom.