Since she was a child, growing up in a Jacuruku jungle village, Saeng has been able to see the spirits of the dead. She comes from a lineage of priestesses of the Sky and the Sun, the region's original faith. Her brother Hanu is her protector from physical dangers, and as her powers grow she casts spiritual protections over him. When recruiters for the Thaumaturgs, the country's rulers, come to the village her protections are detected and Hanu is taken.