Twenty-one-year-old Tisaanah is described as one of the Fragmented because of her mottled skin, hair, and mismatched eyes—signs of her mixed heritage. Tisaanah possesses magical powers associated with a species of humans known as the Valtain, who are typically albino in appearance. On the island of Ara, the Valtain are part of the Order of Midnight—a special institution devoted to cultivating their magical powers.

Tisaanah begins the novel enslaved by Lord Esmaris Mikov, one of the rulers of Threll. She dreams of one day escaping her captivity and fleeing to Ara to attain enough magical prowess to come back and free all the enslaved people of Threll, especially her best friend, Serel. However, when Tisaanah offers to buy her freedom, Esmaris is enraged and savagely beats her with a whip. Acting on instinct, Tisaanah uses the power of her mind to kill Esmaris. She then flees to the island of Ara, where she is apprenticed to Max to develop her magical abilities.

Tisaanah’s burning ambition for power makes her vulnerable to the predation of those who would use her potential for their own purposes. Tisaanah willingly submits to the agenda of the Orders, agrees to become the Host of a malevolent entity named Reshaye, and falls right into the hands of Zeryth Aldris, whose plans involve toppling Ara’s queen.