According to legend, the Others descended upon the human world a thousand years ago, erasing human science and civilization in a flood of fire and magic. After the Others retreated to the mountains, the Elders gathered the survivors together into Enclaves, uniting humanity with their magic and the strict religious rule of the Codex.
Of course, not everyone fell into line.
The bastard child of a fallen woman, Matthias has known nothing but judgment and hatred from the harsh, religious people of his enclave—except for Balthazar. The son and heir of the High Elder, Balthazar shows Matthias kindness, love... and desire. But when the High Elder discovers them, Matthias is arrested and sent to an isolated prison known as the School. There, and in the wastelands beyond, Matthias learns the truth about his world, his heritage, his power, and love.
Still reeling from his battle with the Elders, Matthias finally reaches the promised safety of Haven. There, he is met with suspicion and accusations, learning too late that the new world he's entered is built on as many illusions and lies as the world he's left behind, and that the safe home he's been searching for isn't safe after all. When all the illusions come crashing down, and Matthias barely escapes, he finds himself going back to the start—and finds himself one step closer to the truth.
Once an exile, Matthias returns to lead his home Enclave and settles into a new life with his beloved Solomon. Struggling with his new role and responsibilities toward the new town of Sanctuary and the people who had once rejected him, he knows that the relative peace he's found is temporary. Then tragedy strikes, sending Matthias, Solomon and Tam out once more, seeking answers in the forbidden north; answers that may lead to new beginnings, or to the end of everything they've ever known.
