After a life of stagnation, Will is born into a new world and awakens to the faces of a skeleton, a ghost, and a mummy. The three reside in the ruins of a long-fallen city and raise Will as their own. The skeleton, Blood, teaches him to fight; the ghost, Gus, teaches him magic; and the mummy, Mary, teaches him religion and responsibility. Most importantly, they all teach him love. As Will grows up and learns about the world he was born into, he prepares for the day when he must finally set out on his own. For Will, this journey includes a lifelong promise. At their coming-of-age, every adult is required to swear an oath to the god of their choice, with the strength of the pledge affecting the degree of their sworn god's blessing. With his departure approaching, Will must prepare to accept the truth of his undead guardians and embark into a world that even they don't know the state of. Will discovers, however, that every oath must be fulfilled, one way or another.