The Half-Continent is becoming even more unsafe - monster attacks are on the rise, and every far-flung village or town is calling for help to fight them. Into this dangerous landscape the lamplighters must venture daily, keeping the roads safely lit for travellers. It is not a job for the faint-hearted, and every week there are reports of new theroscades. Foundling Rossamnd Bookchild, sworn into the Emperor's Service as a prentice lamplighter, is finding his training at Winstermill Fortress difficult and lonely. His life is further complicated by the arrival of a young wit, determined to spite her famous mother by becoming a lowly lantern-stick. As Rossamnd begins to make new friends in this sinister world, he also seems to make more enemies, finding himself pushed towards a terrible destiny, a fate beyond anything he could ever have imagined.