Avi’s village is destroyed in a cataclysmic flood; she joins other survivors in search of a new homeland.
After a long journey, Avi is reunited with her friends, Essa and Korin, in a remote valley, high in the mountains. Avi, Essa, and Korin–now orphans–discover the Y’ahra, powerful, ageless spirits within the valley’s ancient forest. The other survivors, led by Nemus, begin to build a new village.
Avi, Essa, and Korin try to mediate the growing conflict between the Y’ahra and the villagers–but tensions boil over, and war consumes the valley. With the orphans’ help, the villagers and the Y’ahra reach a truce. The orphans receive a special gift from the Y’ahra. However, both Nemus and Avi suffer grave losses.
Exiled from the valley, Avi becomes a nameless Traveler. After many lifetimes, she returns to Vale. Believing that the Book of the Village can show her the best way to take revenge on the Nemuses, she seeks out Carolyn, the current Keeper of the Book. Carolyn begins to share the untold story of how she was chosen as Keeper.
Carolyn continues the story of how she became the Keeper of the Book. The Traveler offers Carolyn a magical gift in exchange for the chance to read the Book. Carolyn is torn between her desire and her duty. The Traveler rediscovers the Island by the Falls.
The Book of the Village reveals more about the Island by the Falls, where the living can be reunited with the dead–and about Larissa, the village’s Healer. The Traveler convinces Larissa to take her to the Island, however, the journey doesn’t go as planned.
Through the Book of the Village, the Traveler explores the rules, traditions, and secrets of the Nemuses–the descendants of her enemy long ago. The Nemuses finally learn what a mysterious thicket on their land has been hiding. The Traveler begins to lure the Nemuses into a trap.
Caught in the Traveler’s trap, the Nemuses uncover the true purpose of the Miserable Thicket. The Traveler faces a series of pivotal choices–choices that will usher in a new era in Vale.
