Young Fiona, rider of the gold queen Talenth, has returned from the
past, where she and a group of dragons and riders fled so that the
wounded could heal from their previous battles. Gone only three days,
yet aged more than three years, Fiona is no longer a child but a woman
prepared to fight against the Thread that threatens to destroy her
world. Fiona's life takes a pivotal turn when a shocking tragedy thrusts
her into a position of authority. Now she finds herself leading weyrfolk
who have a hard time trusting a senior Weyrwoman who is both young and
an outsider. But even greater challenges lie ahead: Thread is falling
and there are too few dragons to stem the tide. Many have died from the
recent plague, and even with the influx of newly mature dragons from the
past, the depleted fighting force is no match for the intensifying
Threadfall. Fiona knows that something must be done, and what she
proposes is daring and next to impossible. But if her plan succeeds, it
just might save them all.