In the times following the Great White, life is harsh. Radiation has ravished the land and those living on it, bringing death and decay. As society pulls itself together and makes a new life, children are born with enhanced mental abilities caused by the fallout from the Great White. But because of their association with the dreaded Holocaust, the Council that rules the land condems people with these abilities as Misfits and burns them to prevent further contamination.

Elspeth Gordie is a Misfit. Raised in orphanages for most of her life, desperate to receive her certificate of normalcy, her only chance at survival is secrecy, and she vows never to use her mental powers. But her abilities seem to have an imperative of their own, and soon she comes to the attention of the Council.

Unaware of the extent of her powers, the Council sends her to the remote mountain institution of Obernewtyn, where escape is impossible. There, Elspeth must come to terms with her abilities and throw off her safe cloak of concealment -- for at Obernewtyn there are not only friends but enemies, evil people who intend to use the Misfits' mental abilities to resurrect the terrible forces of the apocalypse.

Only then will Elspeth learn what she is and the destiny she must survive to fulfill...