When young Kansas City nursing student Jennifer Hawkins' father is found guilty of murder and sent to prison, she rails against the injustice of it. Surely self-defence was something that was still allowed in modern America.

Her desire to forget about the worst day of her life leads her to downtown Kansas City, where her only thoughts are to blot out the unfairness of it all with as much alcohol as she can consume. But her evening with her friend Kim is about to get a whole lot more interesting.

As the two head for Jenny's car they are attacked and, while Kim is overpowered, Jenny discovers that she has an unusual power that emanates a strange blue energy from the palms of her hands and knocks their assailant out.

Soon Jenny discovers that she belongs to a unique group of humans who have a variety of superpowers, known as Ascendants. Not only that, but Jenny is a Forbidden Ascendant and is in possession of far greater abilities.

But this great power comes at a price. Before long, Jenny is the subject of enormous interest and while there are organizations which want to recruit her into their ranks, there are just as many enemies prepared to do her harm.

With danger lurking around every corner, Jenny will have to keep her wits about her. But can she navigate her way through physical altercations, new love interests, and political power struggles which date back thousands of years?