Every several decades, the Wild Hunt—a group of mounted fae knights—awakens and roams the land, its presence causing old plants to wither and allowing new ones to take their place. Unfortunately, when lightning strikes the stone monument that the Wild Hunt slumbers in, it chips off a fragment containing the band's guide. As a result, when the Wild Hunt rises once more, its members cannot maintain their formation, instead aimlessly wandering the forests and leaving death in their wake. In an attempt to remedy this predicament, Spriggan tasks Elias Ainsworth with bringing the missing guide's steed back to its master. Meanwhile, Gabriel, an asthmatic young boy who longs for adventure, discovers the chipped-off rock and ends up summoning the knight within. With his only intact memory being the desire to return, the guide must reunite with his steed and his pack before his absence can cause irreparable damage.

Apprentice mage Chise Hatori is invited to enroll at the College, a prestigious learning institution for sorcerers, to examine and look for a way to remove the curses she bears. Despite the reluctance of her groom, Elias Ainsworth, Chise accepts the proposal, as she believes attending the school might help her minimize her self-sacrificing tendencies. From the get-go, Chise grabs the attention of her classmates and professors alike, who have never seen a mage in action before. However, there is a sinister plot brewing behind the College's back, and the young mage will have to determine who is friend or foe in order to put a stop to it.

Following a series of attacks that have left teachers and students alike sapped of their magic, headmistress Liza Quillyn decides to seal off the College, rendering it impossible to enter or leave the premises. As a result, Philomela Sargant is unable to comply with her grandmother Lizbeth's order to withdraw from the school. Trapped inside the College, Chise Hatori and her classmates begin to adjust to their novel and stressful circumstances. But as time goes on, Philomela's condition only gets worse—both mentally and physically. Meanwhile, details about the tragic past of Chise's roommate, Lucy Webster, continue to resurface. As Chise grapples with worries about her friends and with her evolving self, the identity of the mysterious magic-draining culprit plaguing the College may finally come to light.