At twelve, Jon leaves the Tamekei palace for The Threshold, a school where every student is measured, sorted, and expected to find a place.
Far from home, he learns the rhythms of institutional life, finds a cohort of friends, and begins to notice the amulet he wears. It is always warm. No one will explain why.
As questions gather around the smallest visible signs of Jon's ability, he must decide what to reveal, whom to trust, and how to belong before other people decide who he is for him.