Nathan died in the summer before his final year in high school, leaving behind a mother who was devoted to him and a girlfriend he loved. His mother and his girlfriend, Emma, are still alive; Nathan is not. But he wakes in his room—or in the shrine his mother's made of his room—confused, cold, and unable to interact with anyone or anything he sees. The only clear memory he has is a dream of a shining city, and its glorious queen, but the dream fades, until he once again meets Emma—by the side of his own grave.

Nathan wants life. He wants Emma. He wants warmth, sensation, a sleep that doesn't leave him confused and aching.

But the cost, to Emma, will be incalculably high—because Emma just might be able to give him what he wants.