It's been over a decade since the War Between Circles, a 5-year struggle of power between humans of the Crust and the creatures of the Mantle. Though the humans had won, they were left with an atmosphere so full of smoke and ash that it blocked out the sun ever since. With little hope in such a dark and dreary world, Astrid has fallen into the same drab routine with no end in sight. That is, until she stumbles into a mysterious stranger that puts the color back in her soul.