When an immortal dies, Mavell, a master of shadows, is tasked with finding the killer, whom he believes is connected with one of the most notorious assassins in Palimar. Rock smuggler Jon Therman gets caught in the manhunt when Drawlen assassins go after his family. But the Drawls have ulterior motives for coming to Jon Therman’s quiet northern town. Using a magical gate, they launch a surprise invasion of the Deep Wood, burning everything in their path. Nate, one of Jon’s sons, races to warn the Woodlanders of the approaching army. Succeeding in Jon’s rescue, his daughter, Ella, and her companions escape the Drawlen temple and end up in the middle of a raging battle in the Deep Wood, turning its tide and unwittingly starting a war that will engulf the whole of the Palimar peninsula.