Young Fiona, rider of the gold queen dragon Talenth, has returned from spending three
years in the past, where she helped sick and injured dragons and riders to heal in order to
return to the present to fight Thread. She is three years older and wiser, but all around her
dragons are falling ill and dying, and she and the others are still no closer to uncovering a
cure. In this sequel to the bestselling Dragonheart, Fiona must learn to balance responsibility and ambition, help a friend discover her own place among the dragonriders, and solve the mystery of the illness that threatens the very survival of Pern.