Elspeth travels to the lowlands to seal an alliance between Obernewtyn and the rebel forces that oppose the totalitarian Council, while still being pulled by the need to learn more about the weaponmachines that destroyed the Land during the Beforetimes.

When Elspeth and others undertake a dangerous journey to rescue a powerful psychic and find an enormous book trove, the fate of the Obernewtyn colony hangs in the balance.

Elspeth must find and stop the person infected with the plague before sickness--and ultimately death--threatens everyone in the Land.

Who is Little Fur? Why, she's a half elf, half troll, as tall as a three-year-old human child, with slanted green eyes, wild red hair that brambles about her pointed ears, and bare, broad, four-toed feet. Little Fur loves and tends to the Old Ones, the seven ancient trees that protect her home, a small, magical wilderness nestled magically in a park in the midst of a large, bustling human city. When she learns that evil forces are out to destroy her...

"This collection of feminist fantasy and science fiction stories weaves together impossibilities, dreams, and ambitions to reimagine what girls -- and boys -- can be. Award-winning Australian and Indian authors worked together and separately to create stories that bridge continents and will inspire readers to open their minds and take a fresh look at the world we know"--Dust jacket.