Twenty-year-old Violet Sorrengail was preparing to become a scribe and live quietly among books and dusty documents. But her mother is a famous general, and she will not tolerate weakness of any kind. Therefore, Violet is forced to join hundreds of young people seeking to become Navarre's elite — dragon riders. However, there are only two ways out of the Basgiath military academy: graduate or die. Death follows every cadet, because dragons do not choose the weak. They burn them. The cadets themselves will also kill to improve their chances of success. Some are willing to finish Violet off just for being her mother's daughter — such as Xaden Riorson, the strong and ruthless wing commander in the riders' quadrant. Meanwhile, the war that Navarre is waging is becoming harder, and very soon Violet will have to go into battle.