For fourteen years, Z has wondered where she came from, why strange things occur around her, and what happened to her family. When she runs into an old bookstore to hide from a horde of school bullies, she starts to find the answers with the cantankerous owner, Barnabus Krane.

Barnabus becomes her guardian, her magical instructor, and the family she's never had. He teaches her how to bring out the magic from within her 'Ka' and about the mystical world she never knew existed. But Barnabus also hides secrets. His connection to her past, his hunt for the warlock Blackwell, and the darkness that threatens to consume them all.

The hardest lesson for Z to learn is to trust in her bond with Barnabus and believe that their relationship goes beyond family. For he's not just another magician. He is the Grand Master Sorcerer, and Z is the New Apprentice.