Quinn Sullivan, fresh from his first year of college, returns for yet another summer to the North Shore of Minnesota, working for minimum wage at an off-season ski resort. A resort for wizards. Wizards like Quinn. Like most "e;mages"e; his age, Quinn's got no car, no money, isn't keeping up on his spells, and wants desperately to get the girl. And not just any girl-Emma, a promising alchemist (and lover of rock music) who happens to be Quinn's best friend. And entirely oblivious to his affections. Don't worry. Quinn has a plan. Because if Emma wants to study alchemy abroad, she needs one of the rarest metaphysikal artifacts in existence: a solistone. And it costs a whole lot more than a summer's worth of paychecks. But if Quinn can just get his hands on one-even if he has tomake it himself-maybe he'll get that chance to show Emma he's more than "e;just a buddy."e; But where does a mage barely out of high school even begin?