Lia is a wretched, or orphan, in the Abbey of Muirwood. Abbey's are ruled by Aldermasters which are kind of like religious rulers. As part of the preface to the Book Lia overhears that during a major storm a Maston grave was unearthed and there were no bodies. The Aldermaster has it sealed off from the public and Lia steals one of the Maston rings they recover from the empty graves. Skip forward a few years and Lia is 13 but looks to be 16 to most people. She works as a cook with a friend wretched. In the Abbey upper class citizens comes to be learners and to learn about to use the Medium, which is a kind of magic, and some move onto be Knight Mastons.
One night a man drops of a teenage boy who was injured and unconcious. He bids Lia to hide him and that he will be back in 3 days. During that time Lia nurses him back to health while slowly learning more about why he is there. A couple of days later the Sherrif shows up looking for the young man as a traitor to be executed. Lia is able to get him out in time and hide him in the old blocked graveyard. During his stay there the Sherrif learns about Lia and claims to know who were father was. The Sherrif tries to get in to take Lia but she fights back and steals his magic Medallion. Jon Hunter rescues her and the Sheriff is banished outside of the Abbey. Lia talked with the young man and he reveals that his name is Colvin and he was going to join the rebels who were supposed to be preparing to fight the King. He was attacked on the way and has no idea who the other man was who dropped him off.
Lia plans to help Colvin get to Winterrowd where the rebel army is gathering and steals the Aldermaston's Cruciger orb. The older man comes back and tells Lia to take Colvin to the Inn nearby. She instructs Colvin to go there and he does. They find out there were betrayed and the older man was actually working with the Sheriff. The older man had also stolen the Sheriff's medallion. Colvin is captured and Lia helps him escape. As they are escaping Colvin uses the Medium to stop the older man's speach but allow him to escape. Lia and Colvin flee and are directed by the Medium to a nearby house where they meet Maderos. Maderos is cryptic in many of his answers, but directs them to take a murdered Maston's equipment and to use the orb to find their way to Winterrowd.
Lia and Colvin go through the Bearden Muir which was an uninhabited swamp. During the trip Lia stops being able to use the orb and they get lost. Jon Hunter catches up with them and explains that Lia probably can't use the orb due to the Sherrif projecting fear and blocking her access to the Medium. Colvin Gifts Lia so she is able to feel peace again and use orb to direct them. They end up being directed to a Leering made to look like Lia. Jon goes back to cover their trail but Lia and Colvin are captured by the Sheriff's men. Lia ends up using the Medium to create a large fire to kill her captors and they continue towards the rebel army. The Sheriff had caught Jon and killed him before they had caught Lia.
As they arrive at the rebel camp in the late evening, they can see the King's army was just arriving as well. The battle would take place the next day and the King's army outnumbered the rebels 10 to 1. Lia stays behind in hiding and Colvin goes to join the rebels. During the night Lia was able to send a message through the Medium to Colvin about some men sneaking around the back. In trying to get out of their way she tripped and fell unconcious. She woke up in the morning just as the battle was about to begin. From her hidden vantage point she was able to fire a single arrow and kill the King. After the King was killed his army failed and the rebel army slew most of their enemies without losing a single soldier. Demont became the Lord Protector of the child prince after the evil King was killed. No one but Lia, Colvin, Maderos, and the Aldermaston knew Lia killed the King.
When Lia and Colvin go back to Muirwood Abbey, the Aldermaston told Lia the Cruciger orb was actually hers. It was left with her as a baby. She was also told that he was still impressed by the Medium that she would not learn to read while he was the Aldermaston. He also pointed out that does not mean forever since he was old, and it was not him who wanted her not to learn. Colvin promised to come back to dance with her at the winter festival in a month.