A re-wilded, half-submerged England is home to a divided society split into "haves" and "have-nots." Susan, once a teacher and writer, leads a small group of activists as they try to spread words--any words--in a world that no longer produces books. The Ghostwriters must try to revive ideas and get their message out whilst pitted against a system that shuts down thought and learning.

After the break-up of the United Kingdom, war in Europe, starvation, and pandemic, the Capital is a society under siege. People just manage to survive on rations and scraps that they thieve. Always monitored, but never protected, life is cheap among the population. The Ghostwriters must navigate dangers, but who can be trusted and what secrets lie beneath the surface of the Old Capital?