Thanks to the machinations of the evil pirate and marauder, Uriah Smith, and Azazel's cold-hearted leader, Lord Janus Auberon, an ocean now separates Sela from her beloved Caleb. When the unthinkable occurs, she despairs of life itself, until an act of unexpected kindness allows her to escape her captors.

Sela finds an unexpected ally in Prince Magnus Theodorus, who arrives on the island with a strange request: that his real identity not be revealed. Finding hope and healing along with the other members of the Remenant, Sela finally comes face to face with the Carver of Souls, learning the truth about the order of the Righteous, the lot, and Azazel itself.

Meanwhile, having been betrayed by the one person he thought he could always trust, Caleb fights desperately to get back to the one place to which he never expected to return. Struggling to forgive his brother for sins past and present, Caleb confronts the ugliness of Tucker's-and his own-soul. When he is at last reunited with Sela, he fights to reclaim a bond she fears is lost.

Just when all seems restored, Caleb is offered a surprising opportunity: a chance to take back what once belonged to him. What will Caleb choose? And what will his choice mean for those around him-not only for the brother who betrayed him, but the woman he loves and the newfound faith that means more to him than life itself?