Mark works at a restaurant to support them but spends his nights hunting for blood to keep Eleanor alive.
Meanwhile, a separate storyline introduces Claire Logan, a scientist whose family has its own dark history with the vampire virus, hinting at the larger mystery of Eleanor's origin.
The story begins with Mark and Eleanor returning to New York City, hoping to find a cure for her condition. They move into an apartment next to Naomi Cole, a homicide detective, and her son Isaiah, a lonely boy who is frequently bullied at school.
Despite her father's warnings, Eleanor strikes up a tentative friendship with Isaiah.