Eighteen-year-old Rilt Arald, firstborn son of the Arald house, is determined to learn how to be a kaedin and wield the elements — even defying his father, Duke Arald, to do so. His coming-of-age journey started out as an adventurous act of rebellion: enrolling as a student at Kaedin Hall to steal some freedom and make friends before he settles in to his duties as the future Duke Arald. Rilt’s adventure as a kaedin student soon turns sinister, thanks to a dead man’s letter. While trying to unravel the mysteries in the dead man’s letter addressed to him, Rilt gets caught up in a forbidden teenage romance that has him questioning who he really is. As Rilt learns more about the shadowy Verashki, he stumbles upon a conspiracy that could very well cost him his life.