Minnowpaw is just like any other RiverClan apprentice. She is loyal, strong, a determined to become a warrior that her Clan can be proud of. But a strange accident leaves Minnow with an invisible curse that starts to take the lives of those around her. One by one, Minnowpaw's Clanmates begin to turn on her, and tragedy threatens to tear RiverClan in two. Angry, confused, and scared for her future, Minnowpaw begins to believe that the best way to serve her Clan is to leave it behind forever.

It has been nearly two seasons since Minnow turned her back on her warrior ancestors and left RiverClan to protect them from her curse. Living at the Twoleg farm with three other loners is an everyday struggle, and being so close to the forest means that Minnow is close to the past that continues to haunt her. She isn't sure if she should leave or embrace her new life, and that question is harder to answer as the cats she lives with become more like family. In the end, Minnow will be forced to make a decision: leave everything behind or take a stand for what is right.

At long last, Minnow has returned to RiverClan, where she thinks she belongs. With her curse lifted, she is free to reclaim the life that was taken from her, surrounded by the cats she loves in the Clan she calls home. But it isn't as easy as it sounds, and the balance of power and leadership in the forest is crumbling in the wake of the battle at Sunningrocks. As everyone awaits the trial to decide the fate of the traitorous cats, Minnow fights a battle within herself. She lives in fear that her curse isn't really over, and she has trouble fitting back in with RiverClan. This isn't the same Clan she left, and Minnow faces a question she never thought she'd have to answer: was it the right decision to return to RiverClan at all?