Krill's world is dying, the symptom of a vicious cycle of rebirth brought on by a cosmological entity simply known as Afterbirth. After an avatar of the alien god is assassinated by a terrorist group, Krill's region is thrown into chaos as the interdimensional being searches for a new host. Women in the region begin to show the signs of magical abilities, while the men afflicted with the rot begin to devolve into madness. When Brinna, Krill's childhood and current best friend, begins to show signs of being touched by the entity, the two must wrestle with the reality that the Queensguard will take her if they find out about her powers. It's extra bad luck that the Queensguard recently descended on the region to keep order. And don't forget about the ever-present threat of the Quickening, the dimension-shattering event that signals the coronation and rise of a new Damsel, the name given to the ancient god's avatars. Krill's dying world is about to get a whole lot more complicated.