At the dawn of the Industrial Age, the kingdom of Niune is ruled by the Seelie Court-half-human faelings descended from seelie fae. Sworn to the forces of light, the Seelie Court is dedicated to the destruction of all who bear the taint of unseelie fae blood. Mina Cole is an indentured worker-a factory slave. She has lived her entire life ignorant of her fae heritage, until at last a moment of terror reveals the winter magic that has lain dormant within. Now that her power is awakened, the hunters of the Seelie Court will not rest until they have slain Mina and all who stand with her. Her only hope of survival lies in the hands of man crippled in both body and spirit. One terrible night thirty-five years ago, Duncan RiDahn lost both his lover and the use of his legs to the Seelie Court. Into Duncan's web of regret comes Mina, whose dark power both alarms and attracts him. For Mina wields a terrible magic that may ultimately prove a greater threat to the faelings of Niune than all the hunters of the Seelie Court combined.