If life is a funny thing, death has a wicked sense of humor. President Miranda Hutchinson orchestrated the dissolution of the magical colony of Rezarta following its attempted secession, and three years after her death, no one has any idea that a ghost remains. Journalist Scanlon Ness exposed the relationship between vampires and organized crime, but he can't protect himself from joining the ranks of the thirsty dead. The most perceptive eyes and ears of her generation belong to artist Meliana Lucas, but it is to her surprise when she sees the spirit of a woman who died but did not depart. Humanity's answer to the incompletely dead has long been to shun vampires and ignore ghosts. Miranda needs to be heard, and Meliana won't let the barrier between living and haunting stand in her way. There are some who don't want Miranda to regain her voice, and for someone like Meliana, the friendship of a ghost is no protection. The paths of artist, ghost and newborn vampire will come crashing together, and they are not prepared for how the dust will clear.