Mikaela Huntingthorne is a dhampir, half vampire, half human. Her mother abandoned her as an infant and with a dramatic twist of fate, she was taken in by the moroi queen, Vasalisa Dragomir and her husband, Christian Ozera. Although she was raised by the royal family, she grew up with no special privileges other than being trained by the one and only Rose Hathaway, the guardian every female dhampir aspires to be. Mikaela hates being compared to her mentor, especially by those closest to her but the comparisons never stop and as she ages, she becomes more and more like Rose, rebellious and reckless. When Lissa makes the decision to send her children, Luke and Lillian to Saint Vladamir's, the school she attended before her monarchy, before their sixteenth birthdays, Rose insists that Mikaela accompanies them to continue her training and keep an eye on the young prince and princess. But will Mikaela be able to separate her emotions from her duty when it is needed most?