Meggie's father, Mo, died in a car accident when she was ten years old, leaving her to unravel the mysteries of her abilities on her own. Tossed around from place to place, her only constant is her father's old books. She learns that she can make the words come to life- but her father's death had an unforeseen impact. The only characters she can read to life are the ones who died.

The First time I saw The Bookbinder’s Wife, the sky was midnight blue, like a very heavy pool suspended above the earth and ready to dump its contents on the inhabitants below." An account of the several times Death and Resa Folchart crossed paths.