Sparks are disembodied spirits who can gain limitless power through bargains with petulant angels known as scriveners. Hann wakes to this strange new world, clueless and near powerless in the face of its many dangers. He will quickly need to rely on a half starved street urchin and a self-aggrandizing spark that has possessed the body of a cat. At least if he can keep the kid alive and trust the possessed cat not to eat him as a snack.