Growing up listening to her father's stories of his time as a medical mage in the King's Royal Militia, Clary developed a hunger for adventure that set her apart from her peers. She dreamed of magic, sword fights, and far off lands, unable to bear the thought of being just another vintner's housewife, trapped in the small border town of Vinvale. With the arrival of the Saroza pilgrimage, a journey made by nobles across the treacherous Arid Sea desert, Clary finally gets the chance to chase the wondrous life she craves. Unfortunately, as she soon discovers, real adventures aren't as glamorous as she imagined. When Vinvale and its royal guests are beset upon by the dreaded Exiled Regiment and its tyrant leader, the Chained King, she learns just how wrong she was: princes aren't gallant heroes; knights aren't invincible; and beautiful far off lands are harsh and unforgiving. Her life is thrown into chaos as her village burns to the ground before her, and she is taken as a slave captive. Now, uncertain of her fate, she must master her newfound powers in order to escape, all while trying to protect what family and friends she has left.