Marisha's time is running out. She's already lost her family to the sleeping plague, and she fears she'll be next. Penniless and desperate for protection, Marisha is forced to accept a job as apprentice to the notorious koldunya, Baba Zima.

Despite Baba Zima's reputation for cruelty, Marisha finds herself drawn into the magical world of koldunry, and is thrust into looking for a cure to the plague - if Marisha finds it, she will finally be free.

As the search grows increasingly dangerous and seemingly impossible, Marisha uncovers hidden connections between the sleeping plague, her own family's history, and her haunting dreams: of a masked ball where sleepers are trapped endlessly dancing - and a monstrous beaked man who shadows her every step . . .