Naked, knowing little more than her name, Amber Fallbrook does not recognize the stone tower she's awoken in, or the vast, glittering ocean beyond its window. Turning, she finds a very a different view: a beautiful, nearly nude man stirring in her bed. He is a stranger, as is the man who barges into the room seconds later, clearly expecting to find Amber alone. Who are they? Who is she? Why can't she remember? Shocked to discover that she's in her dormitory room at the Alchemary--the realm's prestigious university dedicated to the study of alchemy--Amber has no recollection of having been one of the school's top students for the past two years. The two men--brothers--are her childhood friends, even if "friends" is not exactly the energy in the room. One brother claims he wants to protect her, and the other to help her recover her memory. But nothing is at it seems at the Alchemary. Not the intentions of her classmates and faculty, not the stunning, labyrinthine campus, not the two brothers she's increasingly attracted to--maybe not even Amber herself. Despite her memory loss, Amber rejoins her classes and prepares for the deadly Alchemary Trials alongside the other Mastery-level students. But as invigorating as the flowing language and symbology of alchemy is, she can't help but notice that for an institution shining light on the quest for human perfection there are a lot of dark shadows in its winding corridors.