Kicked out of Page training, Kel becomes entangled in a bitter struggle for the suffering people of Scanra. Four years later she returns to Tortall, a stranger to those who once knew her, a stranger who has not forgotten the promises she made...

The heir to the Copper Isles crown joins a mage, a squire, and a tree's son on a quest to defeat Chaos and fulfill their destinies as a conflict brewing between mortal powers turns into a fateful war among the divine powers that be.

After a dangerous struggle for her freedom, Adda explores life beyond the bonds of slavery and is trained by the most powerful mage in Tortall.