Calarela grows up having to be the provider for her family. She gets some money and food from her hunting, but every day is still a struggle to be able to put enough food on the table.

When her father dies, she gets to see a dragon for the first time, and from that moment on, she dreams about becoming a Dragon Trainer.

The problem is that as a female, she is not allowed to become a Dragon Trainer despite the fact that she has a knack for working with the dragons, and years of experience in the woods learning how to survive.

To be able to help feed her family, she goes into the service of the King for one year. This year is marked by a simple gold earring. She can't help but dream, that she will be able to replace the small, round, gold earring that serves as a reminder of her service to the King with a dragon earring marking her transition into the role of a Dragon Trainer.

When the dragons disappear following the Festival of Peace, she is left alone to take care of the dragons that remain while the others go on their search for the missing dragons. Little does she know that there is someone who is working to get the dragons for himself, and she is standing in his way.

She must battle a plague that quickly spreads through the dragons by herself which leads her to go to the dark side of the planet to get the answer. Frightened, and often alone, she must do what she knows to be right, instead of waiting to see what she is allowed to do.