Thirty miles off the coast of San Francisco lie the Farallon Islands, known to sailors as the Devil's Teeth. Despite their fearsome reputation, their remote nature appeals to young Lucy Riley, who in 1859 seeks a new start as a teacher to the lighthouse keepers' children.

But Lucy brings treacherous secrets with her, including a name that isn't hers and a past she can't escape. On the island, she meets Will Sisson, a mysterious man who seems to recognize her name--but not her face. Wary of Will at first, Lucy slowly starts to trust him.

As Lucy embeds herself in the island's community, she discovers numerous dangers: deadly cliffs, shark-infested waters, and disorienting fogs. A dark presence of another sort, too, disguises an encroaching threat.

In this forbidding place, Lucy must find the courage to confront the perils of her past and the ever-present dangers of the world around her for the new life she's sought to finally begin.