Remi finds the Hospice Ward more dangerous than she expected when an enigmatic figure known only as the Stranger appears to her in the Veil. The Stranger is known for being a harbinger of terrible events like wars or plagues, which makes his arrival even more troubling.

As Remi explores her unusual connection to the land between the living and the dead, familiar faces from her thieving past appear at the hospital and demand that she hands over the key-pendant that earned her a year in Utica juvenile prison. These threats are compounded by the new instructor who has it out for Remi and her friends. When things take a turn for the worse, Remi will have to make a choice between her new life in the hospital and a past that refuses to go away.