The dragon flying over Tiadun bay is the only thing that Darna loves in the provinces, and she's also the only person she knows of who can see it. There's nothing else she likes about life at Tiadun keep. When she learns that she might be the daughter of the prince, she's afraid she'll be trapped there forever so she flees to the city of Anamat. In the city, there will be others who can see the dragons, or so the minstrels say.

Along the way, she meets Myril, an older girl with frequent premonitions and an eerie sense of hearing. At the walls, they find Iola, so dragon-struck that she wants to be a priestess, and Thorat, her devoted champion.

Despite these newfound friends, life in the city isn't easy. Darna scavenges for scraps and just about gets by, but when she's offered a sack of gold beads for a small bit of thieving, she takes her chances... and ends up angering the city's patron dragon.