Princess Octavia has everything she needs: a loving family, keen teachers, and her maps. But she knows that as the last of seven daughters, one day she will be expected to marry a Prince. And then, a letter comes from faraway, asking her to meet a Prince.
Ember is a strong land, and the people are clever and prosperous. But a plague sweeps the land, one that leaves its victims cold and dark from within. Ember holds a secret: Prince Aric is ailing, and fast.
His mother decides to hold a contest in which to find the Princess with the best qualities, the Princess who can steal Aric's heart.
And so they come.