Zix is free. As an aethereal, she had been trapped on the floating island of Turace, forced to be drained by machines to help power the Field – the great force that keeps life moving. Not wanting to die before ever experiencing anything beyond the walls of her prison, she escapes, journeying to the world below.

Back on Turace, the caretakers are putting more pressure on the remaining aethereals. As punishment for losing Zix, Commander Samantha Ren is assigned to care for Eid, a young aethereal barely alive and with little energy to help charge the Field.

Both those below on Basel and up above on Turace soon realize that the dangers around them are far more complex than they believed. The world is dying. Who will save it?

Prince Ashemir is on the run. As the sixth son in line to the elfin throne, he never considered himself important. He lived his life carelessly, a constant embarrassment to his father. Suddenly, after a deadly coup, he finds himself the only surviving member of his family. Not knowing who he could trust, he ends up hiding in human territory with the help of Isana, a kind-hearted healer who takes pity on him.

Self-doubt plagues them both as conspiracies, poison, and treachery press in from all directions, and yet there is still hope that something good can thrive in spite of it all.