Every fairytale starts out with "once upon a time", but this isn't your average fairytale. In the future, after a number of wars have destroyed the earth and every one turned to magic to save it, Ember is a princess living in a fragile society. The legend starts when she is born and a spell that had been cast by a vengeful witch is broken. Being not too happy about this, the witch steals Ember's heart and disappears with it, but not before giving the king and queen one last bit of hope. Ember or her true love are the only ones who can get her heart back, except it has to be before she turns 16 years old or else she will become something everyone fears. But where do you start when you have the whole world to search? And how can you fight off anything when you are fighting yourself?

Lynnly Alphamega is a rebellious, snooty, rich girl who has had a surprisingly hard life. Her mother died in a tragic ransom-gone-wrong incident, and her father never really cared about his daughter to begin with. She is thrown out of several private schools, pushing her father to his limits until he finally gives her a dilmena: She has to graduate the next high school she goes to, or lose her birthright and all the money that comes with it. Easier said than done though. Especially for a new female student attending Night Forest High. A school where the boys rule, the girls have a major attitude problem, and the technology created there is beyond advanced. Lynnly is soon introduced to a tournament where the female students battle in order to obtain the glory and the benefits that come with winning. Will she comply with the system and eventually graduate? Or will she fight it and risk giving up her life as she knows it?