The nobility of the Final Empire are the ruling class of Scadrial, descendants of the Lord Ruler's original supporters who were granted Allomantic powers as a reward for their loyalty a thousand years before the events of Mistborn. Noble houses compete fiercely for wealth, political influence, and trade contracts under a rigid social hierarchy enforced by the Lord Ruler's laws. The nobility live in stark contrast to the skaa - enjoying lavish balls, fine estates, and the privileges of their Allomantic bloodlines while the skaa labour in crushing poverty. Houses rise and fall based on their commercial success, and political manoeuvrings between the Great Houses drive much of the intrigue in Luthadel. Despite their power, the nobility exist at the Lord Ruler's pleasure - he created them, and his Steel Inquisitors ensure they never forget it.

Kelsier's crew is a team of skilled Allomancers and specialists assembled by the Mistborn thief Kelsier to execute the most ambitious heist in the history of the Final Empire - the overthrow of the Lord Ruler himself. Each member brings a unique Allomantic ability or expertise: Breeze is a Soother who manipulates emotions, Ham is a Pewterarm with immense physical strength, Clubs is a Smoker who hides Allomantic signatures, Dockson handles logistics and finances, and Spook is a Tineye with supernaturally enhanced senses. OreSeur, a kandra bound by Contract, rounds out the team as a shapeshifting spy. The crew is also where Vin - the half-skaa street urchin Kelsier picks up out of the underworld - finds her place. What begins as an elaborate con grows into something much larger, and the crew's bonds of loyalty and friendship are tested as the plan spirals beyond what any of them originally imagined.