Juniper Norther can see and hear things other people can't. Like Ash, the mysterious boy with icy eyes who helps chill the fire in her veins. And Ulalume, a made-up shadow world where she can pour all of her grief after losing her best friend to mysterious circumstances. It's a magical place where June feels safest, where she feels like she can be herself. Until it isn't. Because it turns out, Ulalume isn't so made-up after all, and neither are the creatures June has unwittingly unleashed.

Dov has come to Kalmia Academy for one reason: Find someone who can slip through the umber and into the shadow world Ulalume. What he doesn't expect is to meet June, a quick-witted girl who always seems to be tinged in a sadness she tries desperately to keep hidden from the rest of the students. Or Ash, the person who connects her to Ulalume and taught her how to get there. A person Dov doesn't entirely trust, although, that could have something to do with the slight jealousy he feels whenever June talks to him.

Together, the two plan on rescuing Dov's lost sister, but the denizens of Ulalume have plots of their own. They've been bidding their time, waiting for people as strong as June and Dov to open a gate between the worlds.

Will June be able to protect the Academy from things unseen, or has she accidentally doomed her friends to a fate worse than death?