Hurrying through the teeming rain a squeal of brakes alerts Riley to a big truck which hits her and turns everything black. She wakes beside a pool in a land where a lemon sun shines from a pale lilac sky in a strange land . She knows she's not on Earth and wonders how much worse her life can get? Kidnapped by her boyfriend Jothur, she has been taken to Sacral, his home planet. Jothur's father is the king of a castle full of psychic inhabitants, mainly telepaths, and they are at war with the non-psychic Mutes in the forest. The psychics' plan is to test Riley, a native of earth, to see how she blocks her thoughts so they're not accessible by telepathy. Success with these tests will enable them to completely eradicate the Mutes who are a mixture of free telepaths and non-telepaths. Riley escapes from the palace and seeks help from the Mutes where she meets Tynan, their leader. She hopes Tynan will help her escape the King's tests. She is horrified to discover the magic of Sacral is dying due to an imposter being on the throne. As Jothur's father is the king, this means they have no right to the throne of Sacral, but who is the true king? Riley and Tynan work together to discover the real king in order to place him on the throne. Part of their plan relies on Riley returning to the castle to delve for more information. Will she survive or will her mind be torn apart by the tests the false king has in store for her?