In the enchanted Library of Illumination-where books literally come to life-curator Johanna Charette and her assistant Jackson Roth discover a window to "nowhere." Jackson is convinced some sort of treasure is hidden behind it. Instead, the teens stumble upon a portal that whisks them to a library, similar to their own, yet very different. Their impromptu breach of the ancient portal system sets a series of events in motion that take the teens to distant realms, and they learn a wealth of information about the history of the Libraries of Illumination. However, Jackson's natural curiosity results in severe repercussions for Johanna, after she is forced to a destroy a precious artifact when Jackson is taken prisoner by an unfriendly being. She's sentenced to serve time on that hostile world, and uncovers a scheme to take control of all knowledge in the universe. In the blink of an eye, the teens find they must put their lives on the line-in a battle against an ancient foe.