Fifteen-year-old Lira discovers a passage to the Valley of Shadows in an old forest. There, she and a friend meet a dragon and face a choice that will change her life.
Lira had always known that the forest on the outskirts of the village hid more than it showed at first glance. The people of Elendor avoided this forest, especially after dusk. But for the 15-year-old girl, every prohibition was a challenge - and a promise of something extraordinary. One afternoon, she and her friend Edek decided to explore an old, overgrown path that disappeared between strangely twisted roots.
They walked for a long time, talking in half-voice. As time passed, the light began to change - the trees grew taller and the air thicker and cooler than at the edge of the forest. At the end of the path a clearing awaited them, and in the middle of it something that looked like a huge, silvery mirror set into a marble frame. On its surface were reflected not only the faces of the two friends, but also the shadows that were not around them.
In the blink of an eye they found themselves in a completely different world. The trees here were purple and luminous birds with long tails glided overhead. Before they had time to utter a word, the ground began to tremble and a giant dragon with scales shimmering like crystals emerged from the mist.
Lira and Edek looked at each other with wide-open eyes, not yet knowing whether adventure, danger - or perhaps something they were not ready for - awaited them....