For more than a century, mage-powered clockworks have transformed the world of Zahn. But when a prophecy warns Empress Victoria II that everything her civilization has built may soon fall, she refuses to stand idle while her empire marches toward destruction.

Zahn's only hope may rest with Ouihan, a young descendant of the legendary clockwork mage Wingdama Aling—and with Sister, Brother, and an unlikely army of street orphans.

Drawn from Grandeur City's forgotten alleys into the Empress's desperate struggle to save her people, the children become entangled in ancient legacies, political intrigue, and a conspiracy that threatens the Clockworks themselves.

To prevent Zahn's greatest age from ending in blood and ruin, Victoria must place her faith in those her empire has forgotten.