In a world captivated by the temptation of fortune telling, twelve-year-old orphan Maud Mulligan finds herself caught up in a web where strangers are making plans for a future they believe she can foretell.

Which is more dangerous - a future you can't see - or one that you can?

Twelve-year-old Maud Mulligan knows there's no future for her in London, in the rat-infested slum where she grew up. But in the tunnel under the river are fortune tellers, Seers, who will tell your future for a few pennies. And then there is Mr Mandalay, Seer to the king and anyone else rich enough to afford him.

When Mr Mandalay sees Maud in a foretelling for a wealthy factory heiress, she believes Maud can save her family from financial ruin. But how? And why? What could a girl like Maud do to change anyone's future - or even her own?

With more twists and turns than any fortune-teller's tales, this is a story that will keep you reading to the very last page.