When wizards threaten Glorianna and her work to keep Ephemera balanced, her brother Lee sacrifices himself in order to save her and ends up in an Asylum in Vision, far away from all he knows. At the same time, a darkness is spreading through Vision, which hides its nature from the Shamans who tend the city and its people. Danyal, one of the Shamans, oversees the Asylum. He is intrigued by Lee's ravings about Bridges and Landscapers and wizards. With the help of Zhahar, a Handler with her own dark secrets, Lee improves but his words begin to make a terrible sense.