Far beneath the surface of the earth, on the shore of the Starless Sea, is a sprawling network of tunnels and chambers filled with stories. The entrances leading to this sanctuary are often concealed, sometimes in the roots of trees; occasionally, in private homes; and even, at times, in plain sight. But those who seek will find them. Their doors have been waiting. Zachary seeks his door, though he doesn't know it. He follows a silent siren song, an inexplicable certainty that he is destined to find somewhere else. When he discovers a mysterious book on the shelves of the campus library, he begins to read, captivated by tales of prisoners seeking love, lost cities, and nameless acolytes. Then, a turn of the page brings Zachary to a story from his own childhood, impossibly written in that ancient book. A bee, a key, and a sword printed in the book lead Zachary to two people who will change the course of his life: Mirabel and Dorian. These strangers guide him through masked balls and whispered stories in clandestine halls to the headquarters of a secret society, where doorknobs hang from ribbons, and finally, through a painted door that magically opens into a place he had always longed for. Among winding tunnels crammed with books, ballrooms, and shores as dark as wine, Zachary falls into an intoxicating world, imbued with romance and mystery. But a battle rages for the fate of that place, and while there are those who would sacrifice everything to protect it, others are determined to destroy it.
