Every town in the kingdom of Ansel has a storyteller, a man who weaves threads of magic into stories to share with the men of the community-and only the men, for in Ansel, women are forbidden from learning to read.

Elbon doesn't know why Storyteller chose him as an apprentice. After all, he has no family, no friends, and not much talent for hearing the words woven into the colorful threads strung on Storyteller's magic harp. Still, Elbon does his best to make his teacher proud . . . even if he doesn't feel confident that he can.

But when Elbon meets a frightened boy named Freddie who claims to be running away from home-and when agents from the royal palace arrive not long after in search of a missing princess-Elbon and his new friend must work together to uncover the secrets that have shaped both their lives . . . and maybe right a few ancient wrongs along the way.