Sandrilene fa Toren has moved to the palace of her uncle, Duke Vedris, to care for him after his recent heart attack. While the two are out riding Sandry sees a boy named Pasco dance a magic spell. To her dismay she soon learns that since she discovered Pasco, she must handle his magical education until a proper teacher can be found. At 14, Sandry feels she is too young for this. Even worse, 12-year-old Pasco refuses to believe he even has magic. But Sandry has greater worries than Pasco....

When four strange, and strangely talented, youngsters are brought to Winding Circle by master sorcerer Niko they find themselves drawn together in a Circle of Magic - a circle that binds them despite their differences.

Tamora Pierce brings readers another Tortall adventure! Alianne is the teenage daughter of the famed Alanna, the first lady knight in Tortall. Young Aly follows in the quieter footsteps of her father, however, delighting in the art of spying. When she is captured and sold as a slave to an exiled royal family in the faraway Copper Islands, it is this skill that makes a difference in a world filled with political intrigue, murderous conspiracy, and warring gods.

In the medieval and fantastic realm of Tortall, Keladry of Mindelan (known as Kel) is the first girl to take advantage of the decree that permits females to train for knighthood. Up against the traditional hazing of pages and a grueling schedule, Kel faces only one real roadblock: Lord Wyldon, the training master of pages and squires. He is absolutely against girls becoming knights. But Kel is not a girl to underestimate.

When Daine comes down from the mountains, she carries with her two things: a dark secret about her own past, and a strangely powerful magic that even she doesn't understand.