Jake Connolly has lived his entire life on Rithonon. Or so he thought. Strange visitors and the truth about his past shatter his quiet life in the Thalanin village of Brown Hill, and now his only chance of escape lies with the Itarlavon, an ancient family tasked with protecting the Earth. When Silor�, great-granddaughter of the Itarlavon patriarch, tries to rescue Jake, her ship crashes in the mountains beyond the village, and now Jake and Silor� must rely on the Thalanin villagers if they are ever to evade the Kenornin and escape Rithonon. Meanwhile, the same Kenornin who seek Jake's life are moving to seize power once again and obtain their ultimate prize-the Earth. Ilav�, the new leader of the foremost family of the Kenornin, has obtained ancient records of the Seed of the Atsari, the legendary seed to the Tree of Life, which will heal her ailing father and restore him as leader of the coming war.