In the Malabar Empire, power flows from the bond between a young person and their Legendary Beast. There are Seekers of tigers, lions, and monkeys — but a Seeker of the Dragon has not existed for generations. When Jaden of Lessertown manifests that rarest of bonds, he is immediately conscripted by the Imperial Seeker corps and subjected to brutal initiation trials. Before he can become the Emperor's newest weapon, however, rebels from the Hidden City intervene — offering Jaden a place among their ranks and a chance to master his extraordinary power on his own terms.

Jaden is a 'weak-to-strong' underdog — resourceful and brave despite lacking the privilege of his noble-born peers. His rise from Lessertown to the Hidden City is marked by genuine grit, and his Dragon bond sets the ceiling for his eventual power impossibly high.

Book one follows Jaden's harrowing journey from street urchin to initiate, from Imperial pawn to rebel apprentice. He finds allies in the Hidden City, begins to understand the enormity of the Dragon bond, and learns that his very existence marks him as a target for forces far beyond the Emperor's court. The series promises an escalating conflict between Imperial tyranny and the freedom fighters trying to dismantle it.