Princess Victoria Harlowe is at a crossroads. Her best friend, Will Norwood, is captured by Queen Joanna Ringmayer during an attack on Greywall Castle. She is torn between her duty to those she loves and her obligations as a Princess. Her fate as Queen is uncertain, and Victoria finds herself in a position where the slightest misstep can lead to disaster. To help in her quest to rescue Will from the Queen's clutches, Victoria enlists Will's tough and spirited girlfriend, Sadie Cavendish, her twin brother, Jack, and her own sister, Julia. But winter has arrived in Redfaire Kingdom, making an arduous journey to the Queen's castle in Hightower even more dangerous and unpredictable. Beset by the forces of nature and the threat of roaming Shadow Walkers, Sadie and her friends must race to Hightower to save Will before time runs out.