Eighteen-year-old Tylya Lansing lives in a small town in the mountains of California's gold country. Her grandmother Lenora claims to be from another world, and the stories she tells of Lantamyra are irresistable, the magnificent vistas, the ancient gardens and enormous trees tha are treasured assets, festivals that celebrate the seasonal changes, and dragons that play chess. The most intriguing story, however, is about the women and men that learn to control the power of crystals.

In a rugged Sierra canyon, Tylya finds what her grandmother lost forty years ago (which stranded her on Earth) and it provides the means for them to journey to Lantamyra. Tylya is determined to learn the secrets of crystal power and become a keeper of dragons.