Seventeen-year-old Jonathan Lockwood grew up in a secret society of magicians in Manhattan, and he always considered his family to be one of the enlightened ones, willing to unite with the simpletons and offer their talents to the whole world. But when a disaster threatens hundreds of lives, he sees that his parents will remain silent, succumbing to pressure. And he decides to intervene on his own. Jonathan's mission brings him together with Amy, a girl who should be ordinary, but exhibits magical abilities. While they try to deal with the threat, he introduces her to the world she belongs to. The closer Jonathan and Amy get, the more he loses his heart—and his confidence in the rules crumbles. The common good may require a price he is not willing to pay. The story takes place forty years before the Conspiracy of Magic trilogy, helping to see a critical point in the history of magicians - events that will lead to the problems of Rochio and Finn.