In Western Lanacoby, Marean and her family live unhindered by society's rules; but in a land filled with legends of great evil, such freedoms never last. When her camp is attacked, the lives of Marean, her brother and cousins are thrown into chaos. Transported to safety by a man who possesses a magic that exists only in dreams, the children are joined by others who share in their suffering and their rage. Struggling against her thirst for retribution, Marean loses herself to anger. Assailed by dreams of the long forgotten past she discovers that her visions conceal truths that will shape the future; not only for herself but for all those she holds dear. As the difference between good and evil becomes unclear, the children, consumed by their need for vengeance, seek assistance from an enemy far more terrifying than the one that taunts them and together, they form an Alliance of Ashes.