Apprentice Fiddler Wren Matthews thought she wanted nothing more than to resume her alchemy lessons at the Crooked House. But an urgent appeal from a friend sends her to the steampunk otherworld of Nod where stardust is mysteriously disappearing and horrific nightmares threaten everything the colony of Fiddler Magicians has built. Aided by her friends, Wren braves danger from the power-hungry leaders within the city walls and battles the half-animal, half-machine experiments-gone-wrong without in an effort to solve the mystery before the magic of Nod is lost forever.