Thebes is cursed. Or so Ismene's nurse tells her. Ismene has never been outside the palace; she's led a sheltered life protected from the plague that took the lives of her parents, the king and queen. But when a mysterious voice compels her to leave the safety of her known world, Ismene decides to venture out on her own. Soon she learns the only things keeping her inside the palace are the lies being fed to her by the ones she loves. Ismene disguises herself as a boy to join the delegation on their way to Delphi for the Pythian Games.
In Delphi, Ismene comes face-to-face with the owner of the voice: the god Apollo himself. When Apollo tells Ismene her city and her family are destined to be destroyed, Ismene will do anything to prevent this from happening. She makes a bargain with the god, agreeing to go into his service if she cannot stop the war between her brothers. Joining the famous seer Tiresias, Ismene travels Hellas and the Underworld to unlock the secrets of her past. She uses her own curse-visions of the past, present, and future-to try to change the course of fate to save a kingdom, end a war, and reunite her family.But the god has only given her three months to try and solve the family mystery. The war rages on and Ismene may be destined to be the only survivor.