On the planet Windhaven, lighter gravity and strong winds make human flight possible using silver wings—swifter and safer than sailing the wild, predator-infested seas. Flyers travel throughout scattered islands, earning them a unique place in the firmament. Their precious wings are made of rare metals from the original star sailors who became stranded and colonized the world, and are only passed down within families.

Maris is a fisherman’s daughter who dreams of soaring in flight, despite not being born with the privilege to inherit wings. Adopted by a family of flyers, when Maris’s stepbrother is due to take on wings as the firstborn, it turns out he doesn’t want them. And so Maris seizes the opportunity to upend the traditions of Windhaven, believing that flyers should be chosen for their skill, not their bloodlines. But attaining victory brings new complications, ones she will have to fight even harder to survive.