Nettle & Bone follows the royal family of Harbor Kingdom, a small country that holds the only deep harbor between its two larger and more powerful neighbors, the Northern Kingdom and the Southern Kingdom. The youngest princess, Marra, is both protagonist and narrator. As the novel opens, Marra perches on the edge of a pit full of bones in a land cursed due to its inhabitants turning to cannibalism. She joins bones with wire, intent on fulfilling a task set by the dust-wife. If Marra completes all three tasks, she’ll gain the tools necessary to kill the prince married to her sister, Kania.

Marra is currently wrapped in a cloak she made from nettles and owl cloth, the product of her first task from the dust-wife. She delights at finding the perfect skull, one that feels warm and kind—but the moment her bone dog comes to life, it runs off. Marra feels a fool for not securing it. She considers going to her godmother only to fall to her knees, laughing painfully at her foolishness.