In the city of Aurora, to see color is to be corrupted.

Thirteen years after accidentally creating a shadow monster and being chased out of his hometown, Jamie Parrish has returned with a singular mission in mind: kill his father, the mayor, and make Aurora a city run by Daydreamers. For decades, the color-seeing Daydreamers have been oppressed by the powerless Sleepers, and though history has repeated itself in a violent fashion again and again, Jamie believes he can be the one to turn the tide.

However, a coup does not succeed on its own, and Jamie needs help to get his plan off the ground. He recruits Nell, the daughter of a legendary Daydreamer family, Xandra, a Daydreamer cabaret dancer with a mysterious power, and Arthur, a Sleeper journalist who simply can't say no. Together, Jamie and his allies must take the city before the mayor eradicates Aurora's Daydreamers for good.