No one can figure out Anastasia Aaronson. Although she’s formed solid friendships and settled into her job as a research assistant at the Rochester library, the immortal realm will not leave her alone. The voices of the shilt call her by name now, attempting to draw her into traps so they can haul her back to the immortal realm, where several demons are determined to enslave her and plumb her previously-unimagined powers, all granted by the war injury that tore through her amygdala and left a piece of shrapnel embedded in her brain, which could kill her at any time.

Although she’s just recovered from the battle with Sean McGuire, more immortals are sent to drag her to their realm, the first being an unpleasant pair who destroy her apartment in their bid to capture her. Once there, she finds herself in an untenable position — her choice is either capture by a fearsome duo she dubs the Ugly Brothers, or surrender to Daniel — and immediately regrets her choice. However, she finally realizes why the immortals want her so much — she can retrieve a powerful artifact no other being, human or immortal, can touch without dying, much to the open-mouthed astonishment of Detective Sergeant Spencer, who’s suddenly confronted with undeniable proof that everything Ana has told him is true. This interests the angels as well, but she finds them cold and austere — Godfrey lies without effort, regards humans just as dismissively as demons do, and he’s content to allow them to be slaughtered by demons to avoid battle —  as well as sexist — Gabriel’s son Samuel resents taking directions from a woman and openly questions why he should do so — with a regimented plan for humanity she finds little better than slavery to the demons.

All this informs her when, at the close of a great battle, she must make a choice.