In the waning years of a powerful dynasty, the emperor is dying. His lands are ravaged by famine, and his people's powers of poetry magic have been lost to all except the most powerful. A young woman faces desperation. After losing five siblings and watching her family and village starve, she is willing to sacrifice everything to protect those she loves. This sacrifice leads her into the palace, where she is offered as a concubine to the ruthless heir of a beautiful yet brutal ruling house.

But fate is cruel. The court teeters on the brink of civil war, and she is trapped at its center, bound to the side of a violent prince. To survive, she must steel her heart, sharpen her mind, and learn to become dangerous. In a world where women are forbidden to read, she secretly becomes a poet—all in hopes of crafting the most powerful spell of all: a ballad of death and love.