Rose Hathaway has always played by her own rules. She broke the law when she ran away from St. Vladimir's Academy with her best friend and last surviving Dragomir princess, Lissa. She broke the law when she fell in love with her gorgeous, off-limits instructor, Dimitri. And she dared to defy Queen Tatiana, leader of the Moroi world, risking her life and reputation to protect generations of dhampir guardians to come. Now the law has finally caught up with Rose -- for a crime she didn't even commit. She's in prison for the highest offense imaginable, and will need help from both Dimitri and Adrian to find the one living person who can stall her execution and force the Moroi elite to acknowledge a shocking new candidate for the royal throne. But the clock on Rose's life is running out. Rose knows in her heart the world of the dead wants her back ... and this time she is truly out of second chances. The big question is, when your whole life is about saving others, who will save you?