High in the mountains, deep in the safety of a cave, a brood of dragons is born. The four young ones are among the last of a dying breed--the last hope for dragons' survival. But hope shatters when a murderous group of slave-trader dwarves breaks into the cave, leaving a wake of death and destruction...

Only young Auron, a rare, defenseless gray dragon, manages to escape. Armed with nothing but his claws and a boundless determination to survive, he sets off in search of his kind. But to find other dragons--or, at least, find out who's killing them off--Auron will have to search a world of mercenary elves, vicious humans, and dangers of all kinds. Finding allies in the strangest places--and finding himself along the way--Auron is about to make the trek of a lifetime.