AetherBorn follows the story of a young photography student, Ruby Black, in the fictional city of Westerlake. While on a delayed subway train, Ruby witnesses what she is convinced is a mystical murder that is deemed an accident by everyone else on the train. She struggles with what she believes occurred but soon discovers that there is a world of Elemental beings that live hidden from society, beings that only Ruby is able to see. Questions arise as to why Ruby has this ability as she is quickly thrust into the core of an underground rebellion, led by two of the Elemental houses, to take control of what they believe is rightfully theirs. As the book progresses, we get to know more about Ruby’s own past and her involvement with the Elementals. Suddenly, an average girl with a fairly normal life becomes the hero in a story that has been brewing for generations, hidden from reality and more mysterious than anything Ruby has ever hoped to encounter.