Maya San Lucas had been lost in her dreamworld for the better part of five years. But Desparia was no longer a fantasy world for her. It was a nightmare, full of powers and creatures beyond her control. Going to that world took everything from her, destroying her sanity, and bringing her and her friends to certain doom. The life of a thief, and a mage, was so much more exciting than high school, but in all the wrong ways.

After returning from that world of horrors, Maya is left with nightmares plaguing both her sleeping and waking life. Demons stalk her from the corner of her eye, or even out in broad daylight. Therapy was doing little to help, though she knew that her therapist was likely to have her committed for telling the truth. The only thing that lent her any solace was the new girl Meg. For some reason, the demons never came when she was with her.

But as Maya's powers grew, summoning magic to a world that had none, she got a disheartening look at the world that she had left behind. A new evil has come to the empire, taking the place of the fallen emperor as if nothing had changed. When her friends became more determined than ever to return and carry on the fight, Maya ran from them, seeking the safety of the new girl. But Meg has secrets of her own, mysteries that Maya wasn't quite ready for. And as the two of them grew closer, there were other powers coming into the picture that Maya wasn't expecting.