A storm at sea leaves shifters Tony and his brother Daniel castaways on an unknown island. They soon discover they much farther from home than they imagined when they meet Brion, the elven mayor of the town of Rerenlion. They also learn all the island's shifters have been magically imprisoned in Stronghold for crimes against the populace. Brion tells them the only way they can return to their own world is with the help of King Cerdic, and gives them a letter of introduction, as well as one for safe passage to the capital.
The safe passage serves them well when they cross paths with elves who hate or distrust them for what they are. When they eventually meet the king, Tony and Cerdic are drawn to each despite the fact that Tony refuses to believe the island's shifters are guilty of the crimes that landed them in Stronghold. He offers to prove they were framed by having Cerdic send him to Stronghold as a spy from another world.
Will Tony be able to prove his theory and survive in the process? Will the shifter and the elf act on their mutual attraction in spite of their differences?
