When her mother dies, fourteen-year-old Emily Pigbush is forced to go live with her uncle Valentine.She is immediately suspicious of her uncle's unusual late-night activities and fears he may be involved with body-snatching, but every time she resolves to confront him, she is thrown off balance by something good he has done.When she stumbles upon the truth, the betrayal is more than she can bear.But when forced to put her emotions aside, Emily discovers that although her uncle is breaking the law, the risk he takes ultimately benefits mankind.