Twelve-year-old Brynja lives in a small island town near the Wild Realm, which is home to a variety of magical plants and animals.
Five Seekers serve as guardians of the Realm, maintaining the balance within it. Bryn wants to be a Seeker more than anything else in the world, both because she loves the creatures of the Realm and because the Realm will give her access to magical plants that can help her sickly little sister. However, only boys have ever become Seekers. Thus, when a Seeker retires and competitions are held to choose the next Seeker, Bryn is not allowed to train with the other competitors. Nonetheless, Bryn is eager to change how things have always been, and when Ari-her biggest rival-offers to train her in exchange for her help looking after a baby dragon, she cannot bring herself to refuse.