Surviving high school is a bizarre enough experience for most kids, and for Emma Niles, that's only one of her challenges. It's her senior year, and she has to find a way to put the multiple stresses of her home life behind her. Her parents have just been through a messy divorce, and now her father has remarried. Add on classes and all the other demands on her sanity, and life seems just crazy. Fortunately, Emma knows that no matter how weird her life may seem, she can always count on her friends to see her through it all.

But when Bobby Watson, a tall, dark, and mysterious young man, enrolls at their school, everyone is charmed by him. Everyone, that is, but Alexis, Emma's best friend. Alexis, a gifted Native American girl, can see the darkness behind his beautiful face. She knows that Bobby is much more than he appears to be-and that his plans represent dangerous times for everyone they know and love. Alexis invites her friends to take part in a sacred fire ceremony so that they can learn more about his true intentions.

As they prepare for the ritual, Emma learns of her own powers and family history. By embracing her newly revealed Native American heritage and culture, Emma begins to figure out who she is, what's really happening in her school-and why. Through it all, Emma learns that her true strength is found within and that friendship is the strongest magic of all.