After the fall of the kingdom, everyone in England has divided into thirty-nine communities, each based within a castle. This is the way that people live now - in a future that seems like the past. Eleanor, one of a secret elite charged with taking on missions for the Clearheart Castle community, has survived adventure and betrayal. But after returning to the castle, she and Mary soon grow bored of waiting for a new mission. When a familiar figure from Eleanor's past re-enters her life, it's the beginning of their biggest and most dangerous expedition yet. Through her discovery of the White Castle, Eleanor discovers what has become of England and is forced to re-evaluate everything she has learned...