Publisher's Synopsis
Talisman: Sally is a 'Naught'. She lives in a rundown part of the city and is shunned by the upper classes, who are called the 'Ones'. Her life consists of trying to stay alive by searching for food scraps in rubbish bins. Sally has no home or family, and sleeps wherever she thinks it's safe to do so. One day, while rummaging in a ruined building, hoping to find something of value to sell, she finds an old ring. Once cleaned, a name inscription appears on the inside of the band, and she hatches the idea of returning the ring to its owner, in hope of a reward.
However, the ring's owner is a One, and Naughts are not welcome in the One part of the city. Despite this, she manages to find the owner, who initially takes her for a thief, but, impressed by her resourcefulness, he employs her as a servant. At first, everything is a novelty for Sally, but she eventually becomes accustomed to living in what, to her, is luxury. But all is not well in the household. The returned ring appears to be part of a secret experiment by the owner and his clandestine experiments tempt others to react. They resort to drastic measures, even going so far as to send in trained assassins. Sally then finds herself immersed in an ongoing deadly game of cat-and-mouse, as she strives to keep herself, and her employer, alive.
Finally, along with her employer, she is forced to flee to the only place where she knows they will be safe.
Another astonishing coincidence is uncovered when a visit is made to a friend of Sally. From there, all of the answers begin to make themselves known. The final piece of the puzzle is set in place when an extraordinary discovery is made in the laboratory of Mister Stein, the man who mysteriously disappeared, and from whom Master Wentworth originally claimed the rings.
From there, the most incredible breakthrough of all is made, and it's one which will set everyone on the path to the final showdown.
