Seventeen-year-old Clark Treasure assumes the drink he stole off the captain is absinthe...until the chemicals in the liquid give him the ability to awaken the dead. A great invention for creating perfect soldiers, yes, but Clark wants to live as a miner, not a slave to the army or the deceased. 

On the run, Clark turns to his estranged mining tycoon father for help. The Treasures welcome Clark with open arms, so he jumps at the chance to help them protect their ranch against Senator Horan, a man who hates anyone more powerful than he. 

Sixteen-year-old Amethyst Treasure loathes the idea of spending the summer away from her bustling city life to rot on her father's ranch, but when a handsome young man shows up claiming to be her secret half-brother, her curiosity is piqued. He's clever, street-smart, and has no qualms jumping into the brawl between the Treasures and Horans. 

Caught in the middle, Horan kidnaps Amethyst, and all she gets is this lousy bullet through her heart. When Clark brings her back to life, however, the real action starts, and Amethyst joins him in his fight against the Horan clan - whatever the cost. 

Defeating the Horans may seem easy at first, but going up against men with the same fighting vengeance as Clark and a senator with power he's obtained by brainwashing the masses? Well, Amethyst's boring summer at home has turned into an adventure on the run, chock-full of intrigue, danger, love, and a mysterious boy named Clark.