Life couldn't be better for Story Rhys. As long as she ignores the choking anxiety caused by a murderer's random visits, a surgical schedule that's a race against the clock, and her younger sister Lark's declining health. When a surprise upends her life, plans change and demanding new security measures must be implemented.

Despite these overwhelming odds, Story pushes forward. She's determined to save as many Irontrace as possible, proving with each successful surgery that her method can save Lark too. Then a crisis sweeps the world in the form of a familial purge. Homes are torn apart and society is reshaped overnight. Story's husband, Ivan, leads a team, racing to stop the chaos. His fight becomes personal when the purge hits the Rhys family in a way no one saw coming.

Fresh consequences stack against his beloved wife and new lives, leaving scars that will last a lifetime. When time-tested strategies fail to find a fix, Ivan is pushed to work outside of The Irontrace to bring his beloved Story back from the brink, clinging to the truth that keeps him going: his love for her is unconditional.

As the most beautiful parts of Ivan's world are torn away, he's left to answer an impossible question by himself. What do you do when Malice threatens to consume you?