Inger of Canterlot believes that he put the mystery of his parentage to rest long ago. Cranberry Sugar is certain that her greatest archaeological discoveries are behind her. Apricot, their son, fears that his dreams of becoming a mage are quickly slipping out of reach.

All three are about to be proven wrong.

Tybalt Vallen, the maverick Rose Lord of Silverglen, enters their lives with news: Cranberry’s colleague Professor Locke has vanished on the island of Elketh along with his entire expedition. Tybalt’s rescue team has a place reserved for her… as well as his long-lost son and heir, Inger.

Apricot follows his parents on Tybalt’s mysterious mission of mercy, hoping to learn from the mercenary spellsinger Pollux; but the Sugar family soon finds that not all is as it seems in the shadowy lands of the ancient elk. Under the whispering trees of the Elderwood, old secrets come to light, bonds of love fray, and trust wears thin. As they descend, Inger begins to realize that the secrets beneath the aspen leaves will shape their fates forever—not just his family's, but that of the very gods themselves.