"Lena has a secret: the touch of her skin can kill ... But after a devastating mistake, she and her father are forced to flee to a village near the Silence, a mysterious forest with a reputation for luring people into the trees, never to be seen again ... Until the night an enigmatic girl stumbles out of the Silence ... Miranda ... is on a quest to wake a sleeping princess believed to hold the key to liberating the Gather from its tyrannical ruler and she offers Lena a bargain. If Lena assists her on her journey, Miranda will help her break the curse"-- Provided by publisher