After falling asleep in the Chalk warren, Miranda suddenly finds herself and the jupani gypsy Bravil in a mysterious bookstore. There they meet Axel Cartwright, a human boy, who seems to be trying to manage all of the books, including the one he's been writing in (and refers to often).

When the dreamers begin questioning Axel about his bird half, he gets nervous and says he can't let that one inside here, for fear that he'll burn up all the books – which are really Axel's own memories. When Axel says the bird is approaching, Miranda agrees to talk to it and tell it to stay away from the bookstore.

When Miranda opens the door, however, she and Bravil are instead transported to a Sylvanian town named Federstadt, full of korvs and rhians of Chronotopian heritage. Bravil falls in pain, as he remembers who he really is and his body changes to that of a normal jupani wearing armor and robes.

There's a terrible feeling of failure that washes over them, and the town turns into a burning ruin, with Gallisian troops moving through it.