Seventeen-year-old Abriella “Brie” Kincaid, a practiced thief, breaks into the house of wealthy Creighton Gorst. She is relieved that the theft will let her pay urgent bills. When Gorst’s vault is warded with magic, Brie needs to draw upon her meager magical training to circumvent the spell. She laments not having the time or money for training to become a powerful mage. She marvels at the enormous, overflowing vault and wonders if she can take more than she planned without being noticed. She sees a debt notice, signed by her friend Nik’s young daughter, Fawn, that is scheduled for payment the next day.

Suddenly, Brie hears Gorst approaching; she worked for him as a maid until he tried to force her into sex work. She is unable to clean up all the blood she used to unlock the spelled door before he arrives, but she slips away without being caught. Though exhausted, she hurries to Nik’s house, where Nik explains that Fawn took a loan from Gorst to purchase lifesaving medicine for her mother. Nik plans to give herself to Gorst to pay her daughter’s debt, which would mean a lifetime of servitude for her. Brie gives Nik the money that she stole from Gorst.