Mahri is sixteen—attentive, happy, eager to learn and to know herself. She finds joy in family, horses, cooking, and helping others.

Mahri and her family assist the refugees arriving in the Halyean Lands from Zarpahz, across the Narrow Sea, fleeing from war and famine.

Then overnight her quiet life in the small seaside village near West Harbor changes abruptly when she and her family are forced to flee from dangerous raiders adverse to the refugees. After the raiders attacked their village, Mahri and her family escape to Forest Springs Village, where Mahri discovers a powerful gift and a disturbing secret as she faces new challenges to secure her future.