At seventeen, Soup is at a crossroads, eager to make her mark on the world, yet reluctant to leave the restaurant she calls home--the place where she was found as a baby, the place where she grew up, the place where she learned to cook. It's only when her elven boss snaps at her that she begins to see his pattern of abuse, starting in the kitchen and extending all across town. Something's got to give, and the answer is simple: a cooking competition for the restaurant.

If Soup wins, she'll claim the business and protect her village from destructive expansion. But if she loses, she'll have to leave her home and stand by as the food community she loves is razed to the ground. With friends and chosen family rallying around her, Soup has a chance to win. Yet, everyone knows villains don't fight fair, and this restauranteur is not going to give up his throne so easily . . .