Once upon a time . . . That's how a good story should begin, or so I've been told. Sweet young maidens attending royal balls, falling in love with charming princes, and living happily ever after. That is not my story. Meet Ella Upton, a spirited young woman who's simply trying to survive in Arcady, the kingdom of happily never after, where the taxes are high, the laws are harsh, and a girl can end up in the Dismal Dungeons for merely swooning in the presence of royalty. After her heart was broken at seventeen, Ella's only goal is to keep herself and her beloved stepmother and stepsisters from losing their comfortable home and being forced to move to a hovel in Misty Bottoms. Much to her dismay, she gains a suitor in the unlikely Horatio Crushington, a handsome but harsh Commander of the Midtown Garrison. After he saves her from an ogre, Ella learns to see past his stern façade and discovers the lonely, gentle man beneath. For the first time in years, Ella opens her heart to the possibility of falling in love, but it's a dangerous attraction. Horatio could threaten the safety of her dearest friend, Malcom Hawkridge, a charming rogue with a penchant for flouting laws and plans to steal a mysterious magic orb at the ball. Now, all Ella must do is avoid the threats from a jealous witch, a cantankerous wizard and a lascivious prince, help her sisters find wealthy suitors, dance with Horatio without arousing his suspicions, steal the orb for Mal without getting caught. And accomplish all this before the stroke of midnight. What could possibly go wrong?