The main character starts out in a room writing about how she wishing she wasn't where she was. She has become the new representitive of the dragons of her country, the Quelda. For some this is a great honor, for most it is a fearful position. Once every nine to twelve months the dragons choose a girl and a boy from the families of their city. They must be the eldest and they must be virgins. The main character is terribly sad because she misses her friend whom she loves. She almost wishes he was there with her but she knows that if he was here with her he would die too. You see after a while the dragons get bored with the current Quelda and sacrifice them to themselves along with thier prospective mates. So the main character gets ready to be wed to the boy the dragons have chosen. When she opens the door she sees her firend. She is filled with joy and sorrow, because as happy as she is to see him, she dons't want him to die. So with a little help from her aunt she escapes with her friend and sets off to ask the other dragons for help. Fighting giants, jumping in shafts of light, and tackling the riddles of angry dragons come her way.