Teenage Moroi Lissa battles with the death of her parents, coming back to a school where she doesn't feel safe and the dark side effects of spirit. She has her best friend Rose who is shadow kissed and is bonded with Lissa meaning she can see inside her mind and feel all her thoughts and feelings. The two of them battle high school bullies, magic caused mental illness and forbidden romance. They also have someone out to get them, a Royal moroi who was close with Lisssas family, he wants to use Lissa to heal his sickness that is killing him rapidly. Rose is in love with her older instructor Dimitri who is also supposed to be protecting Lissa. Rose and Dimitri fall in love but can't be together, their age his teacher status and them both having to protect Lissa all being reasons they try and fail at not loving each other. Lissa, the last of her Royal line finds love in a social outcast Christian who's parents turned Strigoi when he was younger. Rose is learning to protect Lissa against Strigoi, the evil immortal vampires. And Lissa is battling her newly found magic, "Spirit" that was hidden from the Moroi society for so long. Moroi specialize in 1 of 5 elements, fire, water, earth, air or Spirit, Lissa is one of the only Spirit users.