Sal feels as if he has been on the run forever ...but from what? In a world where the huge, red-sanded deserts are ruled by Stone Mages and the vast coastlines by Sky Wardens, any child with magic ability is taken away to the Haunted City to be trained in the Change. Fundelry is a small town much like any other in the Strand. the people have little tolerance for anyone who stands out, and Sal and his father are strangers, running from someone ...or something. Sal is rescued from the local bully by Shilly and her teacher Lodo, a mysterious tattooed man who seems to know more about Sal than Sal himself. And Sal's father seems to want to stay put for a while. But soon the Sky Wardens will come to Fundelry before then, Sal must uncover the connection between Lodo and the mother he never met, in order to escape a fate that seems to have been chosen for him before he was even born ...