Fear grows strongest in those that feel most alone. Since leaving New York City and coming to Delphion Grey, a very old school in England, she feels desperately on her own. After seeing the ritual from her attic window, Mirabella begins to hear things as well; strange sounds and voices coming from underneath the floorboards in her bedroom and in the Old Library. When the voices lead her to the discovery of a concealed place of exquisite beauty, Mirabella sees a painting of a beautiful princess with a luminous teardrop in her eye, glowing like a small pearl. The next morning Mirabella awakes to find the pearl teardrop around her neck and soon realizes its powers are changing her. The awarding of the pearl begins an awakening that releases things held secret for centuries at the school and other ancient places throughout the world. Dark agents attempt to stop her from learning more of the secrets and to end the search for the First Key. She embarks on an amazing journey, which takes her through the streets of London, to the city's underground world of secrets, ghost stations, witches and fallen angels.