Possessed by a mysterious darkness and driven by jealousy, Jacob commandeers a city ran by Drones (humanoid robots) to annihilate his brother's city of Sunshine Valley and the magic-wielding Freaks who live there. With age, their abilities deteriorate, forcing the children ages six through eighteen to stand as Sunshine Valley's last line of defense. As the shadow of war looms, the children soon realize that war is far bloodier than they imagined.