In the Birde Isles there's a saying:

You cannot take what the sea is not willing to give.

Ally Kingfisher never gave it much thought until she experienced the sea's wrath firsthand. But after a near-drowning leaves her with a deeply ingrained fear of the water, Ally still finds herself inexplicably drawn to its depths. As if something is calling to her from beneath the waves, and it only grows louder each year.

Pasha is being punished for something she didn't do, sentenced to a life of solitude until her kin return. But mermaids aren't meant to live alone. Desperate for companionship, Pasha makes a deal that goes spectacularly awry, affecting the lives of everyone on the Isles for years to come.

When a pirate captain kidnaps Ally's mother and demands Ally deliver the ransom personally, she is forced to leave land for the first time. Turning to Pasha, the one creature whose help she doesn't want but whose power over the water she needs, Ally strikes a new bargain to get her to her mother. But she'll have to confront more than her fears along the way...

Because even those in favor are still at the mercy of the sea.