Malo is an exceptional hunter and intends on reversing his family's fortunes in joining the prestigious Shrikewood Hunting Club. Through his masterful use of the Skær, which lets one perceive all proximate plant-life in the form of malleable white light, he earns an invitation, a chance to prove himself. He leaves his struggling family, promising to return with riches and celebrity. With a future.

The club turns out to be a hive of secrecy and dark ritual. There, Malo and four other young “pretenders” show off their qualities before the most powerful man in the country, Caer Midir. But Shrikewood is under threat. There are enemies on the inside. A pretender is shot. Malo is a suspect. Everyone is. His destiny ends up tied to gods he never believed in. Tied to the Skær and all those seeking to exploit it, control it.

Allegiance divided between Shrikewood, his family, and a cult of religious nomads, Malo must decide who he really is; hunter or Lightseer. Whether he wants to fight for his home or for his own gain. For love, or for something bigger. '