Plot Summary
The novel begins with Wanderer waking up in Melanie’s body after being implanted by a Healer (the Souls’ doctors). She is greeted by a Seeker, who interrogates her about Melanie’s memories and whereabouts. Wanderer tries to cooperate, but she finds Melanie’s mind resisting her and blocking her access to some of her memories.
Wanderer is taken to a Soul facility, where she tries to adjust to her new life and body. She is assigned a Comforter (the Souls’ counselors) named Fords Deep Waters, who helps her cope with her difficulties. She also meets other Souls who have taken over human hosts, such as Curt (a Healer), Lacey (a former nun), and Wes (a former soldier).
Wanderer starts to experience Melanie’s emotions and memories, especially those involving Jared and Jamie. She feels drawn to them and curious about them, despite knowing that they are her enemies. She also feels guilty for taking over Melanie’s body and life, and she wonders if there is a way to restore her to her original state.
Meanwhile, the Seeker becomes obsessed with finding Melanie’s human companions and tries to pressure Wanderer into revealing more information. She even suggests that she could switch bodies with Wanderer and take over Melanie herself. Wanderer resists her attempts and decides to escape from the facility.
She steals a car and drives to the Arizona desert, following Melanie’s mental directions. She hopes to find Jared and Jamie and give them back Melanie’s body. However, she gets lost and runs out of water in the middle of nowhere. She collapses on the ground, expecting to die.
She is found by Jeb, Melanie’s uncle, who recognizes her as his niece. He takes her to his hideout, a network of caves where he lives with a group of human survivors. He introduces her to the others, who are shocked and angry to see a Soul among them. They want to kill her or use her as bait for the Seekers, but Jeb convinces them to spare her for now.
Wanderer is locked up in a small room, where she is visited by Jared and Jamie. Jared is furious and heartbroken to see his girlfriend possessed by a Soul, while Jamie is hopeful and happy to see his sister alive. They both try to communicate with Melanie through Wanderer, but they get mixed results.
Wanderer gradually earns the trust of some of the humans, such as Ian (who falls in love with her), Doc (the group’s medic), Trudy (Jeb’s wife), Lily (a former teacher), Wes (a former soldier), Walter (an old man dying of cancer), and Sunny (a young girl). They start to treat her as one of them and give her a new name: Wanda.
However, not everyone is willing to accept Wanda as a friend. Some of the humans, such as Kyle (Ian’s brother), Brandt (Wes’ brother), Aaron (a former cop), Sharon (Melanie’s aunt), Maggie (Melanie’s aunt), and Lacey (a Soul who joined the humans after being rejected by her host) still hate and fear her. They try to harm or kill her several times, but they are stopped by Jeb or Ian.
Wanda also faces challenges from within herself. She struggles with her feelings for Ian and Jared, knowing that they both love different parts of her. She also feels conflicted between her loyalty to her own kind and her sympathy for the humans. She wonders if there is a way for both species to coexist peacefully on Earth.
She decides to help the humans by sharing some of the Souls’ secrets with them. She tells them how to identify Souls by their silver eyes, how to avoid detection by their sensors, how to remove Souls from their hosts without killing them, and how to find other human settlements around the world. She also helps them heal their wounds, grow their crops, teach their children, and entertain themselves.
She also learns more about the humans’ history and culture from their stories, books, music, movies, games, and jokes. She starts to appreciate their diversity, creativity, and resilience, as well as their flaws, mistakes, and regrets.
She realizes that she has become more human than Soul, and that she loves both Ian and Jared, as well as Jamie, Jeb, and the others. She also discovers that Melanie is still alive in her mind, and that they have formed a bond of friendship and respect. They agree to share their body and their feelings for the sake of their loved ones.
However, their happiness is threatened by the arrival of the Seeker, who has tracked them down to the caves. She has also switched bodies with another human host, Lacey, and has brought reinforcements with her. She demands that Wanda surrender herself and reveal the location of the other humans. She also threatens to kill everyone in the caves if Wanda does not comply.
Wanda refuses to betray the humans and decides to sacrifice herself to save them. She tells Doc to cut her out of Melanie’s body and give it back to her. She also asks him to keep her Soul alive and take it to another planet where it can live peacefully. She says goodbye to Melanie, Ian, Jared, Jamie, and the others, and prepares to die.
However, Doc has a different plan. He has secretly been experimenting with removing Souls from their hosts and reviving the original humans. He has succeeded with some of them, such as Wes, Lily, Trudy, and Sunny, but he has also failed with many others, resulting in mutilated corpses. He tells Wanda that he can save both her and Melanie, but he needs her consent.
Wanda agrees to Doc’s plan and lets him cut her out of Melanie’s body. She is placed in a tank filled with water and nutrients, where she can survive until Doc finds a suitable host for her. She is also given a sedative to ease her pain and calm her mind.
Meanwhile, Melanie wakes up in her own body and reunites with Jared and Jamie. She is overjoyed to see them again, but she also misses Wanda and worries about her fate. She tells Jared and Jamie that Wanda was her friend and that she saved their lives. She also tells them that Wanda loved Ian and that they should respect her choice.
The humans manage to fight off the Seekers and escape from the caves. They take Wanda’s tank with them and drive to another location where they can hide. They also rescue some of the other Souls who were implanted in humans and bring them along.
Doc finds a new host for Wanda: a young woman named Petals Open to the Moon, who was dying of a gunshot wound inflicted by Kyle. He transfers Wanda’s Soul into Petals’ body and revives her. He also restores Petals’ memories and personality, hoping that she will be happy with Wanda.
Wanda wakes up in Petals’ body and is greeted by Ian, who kisses her passionately. She is happy to see him again, but she is also confused by her new appearance and identity. She wonders if Ian loves her for who she is or for who she was. She also wonders if she can adapt to Petals’ life and memories.
She is welcomed by the other humans, who have learned to accept her as one of them. They also introduce her to the other Souls who have joined their group, such as:
- Burns Living Flowers (Wes’ host),
- Sunny (Kyle’s girlfriend),
- Jodi (Kyle’s sister),
- Nate (Brandt’s host),
- Freedom (Aaron’s host),
- Raul (Sharon’s husband),
- Violetta (Maggie’s daughter),
- No Pain (Walter’s host),
- Glory Beautifully Bright (Trudy’s host),
- Rain Song (Lily’s host),
- Star Gazer (Jeb’s host),
- Lacey (the Seeker’s former host).
Wanda realizes that she has found a new family and a new home among the humans and the Souls. She also realizes that she still loves Ian and that he loves her back. She decides to embrace her new life and identity as Wanda/Petals, hoping that she can make a difference in the world. She also hopes that one day, she will be able to meet Melanie again and thank her for everything she has done for her.
