At the Medio School for Girls, distinguished young women are trained for one of two roles in their polarized society. Depending on her specialization, a graduate will one day run a husband's household or raise his children. Both paths promise a life of comfort and luxury, far from the frequent political uprisings of the lower class. Daniela Vargas is the school's top student, but her pedigree is a lie. She must keep the truth hidden or be sent back...

Told from separate viewpoints, two seniors at an elite girls school grow close as they work together on a project and Zoey, a scholarship student, begins dating wealthy, troubled Olivia's twin brother, Liam, but romance blossoms between the girls, threatening both of their relationships with Liam.

In a novel set wholly in a new world, but inspired by modern Egyptian history, two young women--Nehal, a spoiled aristocrat used to getting what she wants, and Giorgina, a poor bookshop worker used to having nothing--find they have far more in common, particularly in their struggle for the rights of women and their ability to fight for it with forbidden elemental magic.