Deston Manor holds an isolated existence for anyone unfortunate enough to call it home. A ward to August, her uncle and current earl of the Rosewood family, fifteen-year-old Hestia finds solace only in books and conversations with members of the manor’s small staff, who seem to know something she doesn’t. Forbidden from certain rooms and floors of the manor, she longs to know if these spaces hide answers regarding the fate that took her parents’ lives when she was just a child. When August leaves on business, he employs a new governess, Ms. Priscilla Evans, to hold academic lessons and keep Hestia busy while he is away. However, after Ms. Evans has a particularly revealing sleepwalking episode and displays noticeably odd behavior, Hestia wonders if she may hold the key to unlocking her longest-held questions. Enlisting the assistance of Ezekiel Miller, the gardener’s son, Hestia embarks on an investigation that will uncover more than she ever imagined. Only then will she learn that even the strongest family tree is no match for soil that has turned sour.