Anaheim, California is comprised of two kinds of people: duds and initiates. The former are your everyday, average folk, but the latter possess what is informally referred to as "the knack." An unusual sort of affliction, the knack heightens a person's metaphysical abilities, allowing them to perform mind-magic. The downside is that, once infected, a person becomes dependent on the life force of others, and must continuously replenish his or her energies in order to survive.

For Bryce, growing up is an uneventful ritual. That is, until he meets Kyna, a voracious initiate for whom love has little meaning. At first convinced that his feelings for her are the result of mere infatuation, Bryce quickly finds himself caught in a web of friendship and deceit as Kyna's vampiric dependencies lead them both on a treacherous journey of self-discovery.