What do you do when you find that your life has been "unmade." 19th century In the city of Dawlish, people and things disappear without explanation, an event known as an "unmaking." Those that survive an unmaking are cast out of good society. Many form "unmade societies" in which life's mysteries are celebrated. The unmade world observes different rules of behavior, when it can be bothered to have rules at all. When her husband is unmade on their wedding night, young Allegra Janeway has few options left in "good" society. And in the unmade world, everyone seems to think she possesses special abilities. What do these strange unmakings mean to Allegra and her new friends? How will they survive the unmaking of the world?