Kestrel is a quick-witted street orphan whose every day struggle for survival in Ninehook City often threatens to lead him down a criminal path, despite his good intentions, victim to the whims of guards, criminals and townsfolk alike with his best friend Quill by his side. When he incurs the wrath of the City Guard, he outruns them only to stumble across the bloodied body of a man, dressed as an illustrious Master of the fabled Moonhollow Academy. In his last moments, he entrusts Kestrel with a stone, filled with a strange unbridled power and instructs him to leave the city. It's not long however before Kestrel catches the attention of other forces, including the charming Anthony Descara, leader of the murderous Shade Spectres. With his friends by his side, Kestrel must make his way to Moonhollow Academy in order for the true purpose of the stone and the elite forces that dwell there to be revealed.