Emily's New Learning has been good for Beneficence. In the years since she arrived on the Nameless World, the city has been at the forefront of technological advancement and social development. Thousands of newcomers are moving to the city, railways span the gorge and drive into Zangaria, the first steamboats are plowing the ocean wave and a whole new banking system is reshaping national and international trade. A true golden age appears to be on hand. But all is not well. The city's largest businessman may be on the verge of collapse, the city guilds are weakening, religious fanatics stalk the streets, and there are rumors that one of the Great Gods has returned to judge everyone. The streets are on edge. No one knows which way to turn. Emily returns to Beneficence for Casper's funeral before she goes back to school. But, as she is drawn into a political, social and religious meltdown, she finds herself dealing with the darker consequences of her innovations, people who blame her for the problems facing the city, religious fanatics, her boyfriend's family...and a deadly plot from the dark past that may lead the Nameless World to utter ruin.