Working is Alowyn's entire personality. She lives in the world Paloma, a place plagued with water that turns acidic in the sunlight, and her job is to gather it at night, when the she cannot be wounded by the water, and hauling it back to the palace. One day, when on the job, she gets distracted and is caught up in such a wind storm that she loses her entire load of water and is turned into her boss. Worse turns worse and her boss has decided he's had enough of her foolishness. Soon, she has no job and no money. This world has turned her into an outcast, and she's bound to fail.

Ryland has been a good prince for his entire life. But only after his brother dies does he become the heir, the one with the responsibility. A responsibility he didn't want. When he meets this young girl out in the woods one day, he is unable to turn away from the poverty for his land. Except his father then finds him 'frivolously wandering away from the palace with a women at the night.' and he gets them both jailed for the night. But something is not so right with this girl. This orphan is not native to this kingdom.