As the land of the Forest Dwellers is increasingly decimated by the Horde, Thomas Hunter, supreme commander of the Forest Guard, choses four sixteen-year-old recruits for a special mission--to find the seven lost Books of History that have power over the past, present, and future.

As Johnis, Silvie, Billos, and Darsal continue their quest for the four still missing Books of History, Billos makes a decision that has devastating consequences for himself and his companions, especially the devoted Darsal.

After her farm for widows and orphans is devastated by fire in 1884, Christina Willems is determined to reopen it despite opposition. She finds an unlikely ally in local lumber mill owner Levi Johnson. Having been hurt by people in the past, Levi prefers solitude. But young Tommy Kilgore, one of Christina's residents, worms his way into Levi's affections. When Tommy and Christina are threatened, will Levi reach out and find healing from the scars...