After fifteen years of imprisonment and solitude, Soran Silveri's life is rudely interrupted by the arrival of one brash, headstrong, flame-haired girl. He cannot refuse her appeals for sanctuary-but he can resist her pleas for him to teach her magic. If the suspicions he harbors about her prove true, tapping into her magic potential could spell disaster.

Nelle has survived the first hurdle of her mission on Roseward Isle: She convinced the disgraced mage to let her stay. Now, if she can only find his hidden spellbook, she could return home in time to save Papa. It should be simple enough.

But as the danger stalking Roseward Isle closes in, a situation that once seemed simple grows more complex by the day. Can Soran bear to send away the woman who has instilled his life with new meaning and purpose? Can Nelle betray the man who has opened her eyes to possibilities she never knew existed?