In Makasing, the Adanadi ceremony is a nearly universal rite of passage into adulthood. It binds the recipient to their chosen Path animal and, in some cases, bestows upon them a supernatural gift. For most, it is a ceremony focused on that single individual, surrounded by family and loved ones. But Niya and Tusika are not your average citizens of Cahokia. Best friends with a bond that goes beyond sisterhood, the two young women have chosen to undergo the ceremony together.

But each of them brings with them their own secrets and burdens. Niya comes from a modest background and her family has never received special Abilities from the Adanadi. Tusika's family has power and a long line of Abilities—and the expectations that come with that. When the ceremony does not go as planned for either of them, their worlds begin to spark and smoke. And when a strange, passionate young woman shows up with stories of a dark cult and asking for help, there's nothing that can stop it from bursting into flames.

Hemlock & Sage is the first novel set in the world of Coyote & Crow, an alternate history science fantasy where colonization of the Americas never happened. Instead, after a climate disaster alters the course of history around the world, advanced civilizations develop over centuries, fueled by Indigenous knowledge, culture and determination and powered by the mysterious Adanadi that arrived in the wake of the disaster.