The World of Amedia is wracked with storms as the planet returns to its native state following the death of Magic. Astra Fairweather and the other apprentice Wizards — the only Wizards remaining with access to Magic, save Banterell Lightningbolt, the same Blight who caused the death of Magic — cast about for some way to protect Amedia from itself.
There is no way.
There is, however, a chance to protect those Plain folk who are threatened by storms ... the drawback being, it will require that Astra work hand-in-hand with Blight, since neither one has enough Magic on their own.
Blight swears that he has changed, that Amedia admitted it was in error in calling for the death of Magic and that Blight —who now prefers to be called "Banty" — seeks only to save Plain lives. Astra and her friends are skeptical, but Astra's "shadow girl" appears, saying that to work with Blight is necessary; all that need happen is to survive until Summer returns.
Still uneasy but calmed by shadow girl's revelations, Astra sets out to save lives. Assisted by her boyfriend Nik and her partner Danni, Astra and Blight shield two cities from the devastating storm onslaught, only to find those cities later flooded by the storm aftermath. Blight again assists in rescuing survivors
Not everyone can be saved, though, and the thousands of Plain deaths drive Blight beyond the bend. Killing thousands of Wizards had already left Lightningbolt with a tenuous grip on sanity; now, he falls over the edge into full madness, leaving Astra as the sole source of Magic on Amedia ... exactly where the Amedian sentience wants her.