Princess Isabella is stripped of her crown by her stepmother Melissa, who installs her own daughter Valeria on the throne instead — Isabella is cast out in disgrace, but escapes with a stolen dragon egg. Hiding among mercenaries at a remote fortress, she meets Kael, a hardened and dangerous commander who sees the princess beneath the dirt and decides to help her.
As their wary distrust turns to passion, and the egg hatches into Ember, a dragon who bonds to Isabella alone, Kael's loyalty is tested when his closest friend betrays them both, selling Isabella out to the royal guard. Reeling from the betrayal, Isabella no longer knows what was real between them.