Cass has always wanted to audition as an acrobat for the famous Circus Boat. But when her chance is snatched away, she comes up with a new plan. She secures a job on the Palace Boat, following the circus around the islands. Yet Cass has been invited on the boat for a very different reason - and it's not long before she is embroiled with thieves, sword fighters and a mysterious group of women called The Company of Eight....

In a world where magic is so powerful it has been outlawed, Cass is a rare creature - an obtuse, someone who is unaffected by magic. But what has always felt like a handicap becomes a strength when sorcerers and magicians begin to perform magical deceptions with malicious intent. The Queen of Minaris is in grave danger, and it's up to Cass to protect her.