In Overture, magic can cure all diseases, but not those of the mind. Society looks down on those whose illnesses are incurable by magic, and these "lunatics" must stay in madhouses until they recover their sanity—if they ever do.
But no one has a worse madness than 13-year-old Janis—not even those who long for death, or live in constant fear, or see and hear the unreal—because in a city where everyone can use magic, Janis alone can't. "Magic Deficiency Disorder," they call it.
Her disability makes Janis an easy target for bullying, but she still fights back despite always losing. One day, she is saved from her bullies by Aidan Woolf, a powerful mage and police commander.
In Woolf, Janis finds a father figure, but the commander didn't come to her madhouse just for a visit. He has a mission.