Ambress ad’Allace, born to the lowest caste of nobility, must marry well to have any chance of a better life. Since childhood, she has been tutored in the art of making a match with a son of the Fiefe, but the odds are against her. However, Ambress has one possession that would make her the envy of even the royals in her land: an incomplete set of ancient necklaces full of talismanic magic.

Growing up perilously on the edge of higher society, Ambress hopes these necklaces are her key to landing a noble boy and securing her future. But despite all her tutoring, she falls in love with the slave boy Prandor, even though marriage is not for love but title. Ambress cannot possibly give herself to Prandor, who has had her heart since they were children. Or can she? In a world where the lines between the classes are thick, and one misstep spells ruin for generations to come, is there any magic that allows them each other?