Seri's world is defined by very clear rules: The beasts prowl the forest paths and hunt the People. The valiant explore the unknown world, kill the beasts, and gain strength from the armour they make from them. As an assistant to Eshai Unbroken, Seri has seen first-hand the struggle to keep the beasts at bay. That was how it always had been, and how it always would be. Until she encounters Tsana.

Tsana is, impossibly, a stranger who can communicate with the beasts-a fact that makes Seri begin to doubt everything she's ever been taught. Somehow, with the world on the brink of war, Seri will have to find a way to make peace.