Besieged on all sides, Lirael, Sameth and the Disreputable Dog are in for the fight of their lives. Chlorr of the Mask, under the control of the enormously powerful Necromancer Hedge, is determined to free Orannis the Destroyer - the greatest and most powerful Free Magic creature in the history of the Old Kingdom.

Only Lirael, newly come into her inheritance as the Abhorsen-in-Waiting, and only just beginning to understand her powers as a Remembrancer, has any chance of stopping the Destroyer - although she has no idea how. To make matters worse, Sameth's best friend, Nick, seems to be helping the Destroyer, and there has been no word from the Abhorsen Sabriel or King Touchstone for days.

With only a vision from the Clayr to guide her, and the rather mixed help of her companions, Lirael must search in both Life and Death for some means to defeat the Destroyer. The Old Kingdom - and the world - is depending on her...