Whicker Campbell has a problem. Since the death of his sister, his mother has been lost in her grief. As an enchanti, she cannot just let herself go, though she very much wants to. Unknowingly, she’s feeding off her son’s life force. As a necroti for the state, Whicker needs every ounce of energy he can get just to make it through his day. After a year, the effects of his mother’s feeding are finally hitting home. Whicker knows he has only a week or two left. With the one-year anniversary of his sister’s death fast approaching, he comes up with a desperate plan to save himself and his mother. It involves a dead nine-year-old girl, a Hatcher Key, and the help of his mentor, an older necroti. But from the start, Whicker’s plan begins to unravel....

To her shock, Investigator Suzin Rollings's well of telepati ability has run dry. Facing mandatory retirement one week short of 40 years, Suzin, who works for the state's Department of Overnormal Affairs, finds herself heading into a bleak, uncertain future. Then a strange case falls into her lap: video evidence suggests two intruders have stolen the body of a recently deceased nine-year-old girl from a funeral home on the morning of her funeral. But the sad ceremony went off without a hitch, leaving her and the funeral home director wondering if there’s even been a crime. Determined to go out with an unquestioned success, Suzin begins her investigation. And soon finds herself on the trail of two necrotii who have violated every oath they’ve sworn to uphold.