When she is pulled from the wreckage of a New York subway crash, Jane Gray is astonished to recognize her rescuer as Prince Starling, an imaginary companion from her childhood. Determined to uncover the truth about her past, Jane tracks him to another realm; the world of the Palazzo, a magical ship that is both a colossal steam vessel and a Renaissance kingdom. There, she discovers that magic is real and her destiny is more tangled than she ever imagined.

In this story of a modern Alice in Wonderland, Jane is courted by two different men and must survive the machinations of an exotic and dangerous queen. When she discovers the urgent secret of the Palazzo's endless voyage, Jane holds the fate of the realm in her hands. Guided by maps, legends, and dead reckoning, she must pilot a course that will lead to the salvation or destruction of the world she has come to love.