The only thing Cassie enjoys is the volunteer work she does at her local library with her classmate and kind-of friend Joe. After a very intense storm, they discover an abandoned kitten. Figuring the kitten needs a friend just as much as she does, Cassie names him Albert and takes him home with her.
Soon Cassie begins to notice that Albert is acting . . . strange. He seems to have impossible strength. Cassie swears she sees plumes of smoke rising from his water bowl. And one day, while Albert is in the room, a unique symbol appears on Cassie's closet door.
After a bit more investigating, it turns out that the symbol isn't so random, and neither was that weird storm that occurred when they first found Albert outside. Albert is not really a cat at all, and he has links to a historic and incredibly strong dragon world, a world that once had an alliance with the human one. But a breach in this usually well-oiled machine has put everyone—including Cassie and Joe—in grave danger. And their biggest enemy is closer than they ever imagined.