Soren, Gylfie, Twilight, and Digger, four owls, band together to seek the truth and protect the owl world from unimaginable danger.

"Even though Soren was kidnapped and taken to the St. Aegolius School for Orphaned Owls, he has longed to see his sister, Eglantine, again. Now Eglantine is back in Soren's life, but she's been through an ordeal too terrible for words. And Ezylryb, Soren's mentor, has disappeared ... In order to rescue him, Soren must embark upon a perilous quest." --P. [4] of cover.

Soren leads the Chaw of Chaws to rescue his sister, and this begins the next battle between the owls of Ga'Hoole and the evil Pure Ones.

Nyroc, son of the evil Kludd and Nyra, is forced to fulfill his dead father's destiny and oppress all of owldom, but when doubt grows in Nyroc's heart he must make an ultimate decision between good and evil.

Soren and Coryn discover what Ezylryb intended them to learn, that evil is not confined to the time of legends and the existence of the great tree is in danger.

Hoole uses the power of the Ember in the final, decisive battle and searches for the ideal place to establish an order of free owls.

While Coryn and his companions journey to a wintery realm where mysterious owls live, the king becomes the target of an assassination plot and it is up to Primrose and Eglantine to save him.

After a malignant power is summoned, the six owl kingdoms prepares for war, and while the Guardians of the the Great Ga'Hoole Tree call together an army of gadfeathers, kraals, polar bears, green owls, puffins, seagulls, and dire wolves, another army of free creatures travels to the Hot Gates of Beyond.