Farren, a journeyman cabinetmaker, sees the dead. He can't help it: they walk, they talk, they nag and complain. His neighbors view him with dark suspicion. Is he a Shadebinder, a sorcerer who enslaves the souls of the dead for evil purposes?

Mericia, Princess of Ailsandia, is cursed. Everyone she loves, or treats kindly, either dies or suffers horribly.

And then there's Caprio, the Goat apparition, who has a hobby. He dips his cloven forehoof into serious affairs of mortals and stirs them up, just to see what happens.

In a tale of ancient secrets, knights and pirates, suspense and madness, the three strive to deliver their nation and their families from the consequences of a generations-old sin.

Farren and Mericia must turn their curses into strengths if they are to protect those dear to them. Once Caprio sticks his nose into their affairs, they are thrown together to solve an intricate web of deceit and treachery, which can only be solved through The Shadebinder's Oath.