Owen Akar struggles to find his place in Khol. Having grown up in Taninim, he doesn’t understand the Kholians love of the Phoenix. More than anything, he wants to be free of the island—and he isn’t afraid to let his feelings be known. But because of his Dragon’s Gift, Owen is shunned and viewed with deep suspicion, finding himself isolated among the very people who should accept him.

But then the Dragon stirs up an old enemy against the people of Khol, one that threatens to do what Taninim never did: utterly destroy the city. Owen wants no part in the coming war with the Dragon Spawn, but he is caught up in it despite his protests. Now, he must help save the very people who fear him, but as his own Gift becomes more and more unpredictable, he finds himself at the center of the darkness that threatens to consume Khol and everyone in it.

Together with Roy, Bain, Minnie, and others, Owen must right an old wrong and gain control over his Gift, the Paradox Curse. The way to victory is wreathed with shadow and darkness, and he is told that only one light will see him safely through, the one thing he detests more than anything: his faith. Because Owen…well, Owen simply doesn’t believe.