In a world where the touch of a finger can cure or condemn, the sagarts, who have The Touch, are revered for the knowledge that their talent gives them, especially in healing the sick. Yet there are those who feel their power is choking the freedom of the common man. They have banded together in the Brotherhood to subvert this repression, but they are hunted down and executed one by one.

Katrina arrives at Catair to begin her training as a sagart and become a healer. While she is learning her craft, she meets Rhys, a young man whose connection to the Brotherhood gets her in trouble with the sagarts. When the city is ravaged by a terrifying plague, Katrina must choose between the life of a sagart and the knowledge that the Brotherhood does indeed hold the answer.