Zera is a Heartless - the immortal, unaging soldier of a witch. Bound to the witch Nightsinger, Zera longs for freedom from the woods in which they hide. With her heart in a jar under Nightsinger's control, she serves the witch unquestioningly. Until Nightsinger asks Zera for a prince's heart in exchange for her own, with one addendum: If she's discovered infiltrating the court, Nightsinger will destroy Zera's heart rather than see her tortured by the witch-hating nobles.  

Crown Prince Lucien d'Malvane hates the royal court as much as it loves him - every Tudor too afraid to correct him and every girl jockeying for a place at his darkly handsome side. No one can challenge him - until the arrival of Lady Zera. She's inelegant, smart-mouthed, carefree, and out for his blood. The prince's honor has him quickly aiming for her throat.  

So begins a game of cat and mouse between a girl with nothing to lose and a boy who has it all. Winner takes the loser's heart - literally.