Two years after the Revolutionary War, the new College in Peachtree is in trouble. Kip, Emily, Malcolm, and Alice have survived political attacks from Victor Adamson, but their money is running out. The International Exposition of Sorcery is their last chance to find a rich donor, but once they're there, things get much worse. The few students they have are kidnapped, and Kip gets wind of a sinister plot against all Calatians. Within days, the four friends find themselves in a race against time to save their students, their school, and the world as they know it.