seventeen-year-old wren devine refuses to share her art with anyone-other than her parents and her sister (who died three years prior). but when her mother submits her artwork to a mentorship program, and she gets accepted, wren is forced to display her artwork for the eccentric professor hayes. despite her fears, wren hopes this mentorship will finally make her as worthy as her sister. but this mentorship is about more than painting.wren soon learns that she has a magical ability to turn her paintings into portals to travel not only to other places but also to another world entirely. an eerie children's book in the professor's classroom reveals a wicked pirate with a vengeance who has her eye on stefan branson, a former student of professor hayes. as all four of these lives intersect, it becomes apparent that everyone has a secret-some more deadly than others. the longer these secrets brew, the more deadly and heavy they become, and possibly lead to never seeing her former, earthly realm again. wren must not only learn to release the shadow of her beloved sister but step boldly into her own world.