Like everyone else in the Realm of Siir, a sixteen-year-old village lass named Allu knows that music is forbidden. It's not that music doesn't exist; rather, music is a power that the Masters in far-off Sifirithi hoard in order to dominate Siir and enforce their rule. But then Allu-musically gifted despite humble origins-finds herself conscripted to receive training and serve the Masters in Sifirithi. There, falling in love with Ned, a young instrument builder, Allu must either accept the powers granted her-or else make a dangerous decision to resist the Masters. Allu's and Ned's choices draw them into a perilous adventure in a fantasy world like no other.