The Hoods are a long bloodline of Red Wardens.  They were once sworn to protect the Western Woods, the home of the infamous Jack Frost. But somewhere along the line, the dedication faded, Jack Frost became nothing more than a bedtime story, and darkness slowly crept back into the Western Woods. The duties of the Wardens were forgotten, and the last person meant to inherit the title of Red Warden refused. It came at a great cost, and she turned her back on the Western Woods, vowing to never pass the Wardenship onto her own child. Ryder rarely left her home in the Western Woods after her father was killed by wolves. The only time she ever ventured out was to accompany her mother into town or to visit her grandmother, who loved to fill Ryder's head with tales of the Spirits of the Seasons, especially of Jack Frost and his winter magic. Little does Ryder know just how important those stories are when Grandmother is kidnapped by a man with one blind eye, a sinister grin, and his pack of wolves. When nobody believes Ryder's story, she feels more alone than ever. So, she takes matters into her own hands and ventures deep into the Western Woods, well aware of what dangers lurk just beyond the limits of her sight.  There, out on the frozen lake deep within the Woods, she meets Jackson. He becomes her only friend in the world, and he vows to help Ryder rescue her grandmother from the man named Wolfe.  With Jackson's help, Ryder must come to terms with the reality of what was once nothing more than fairy tales. She must rescue her grandmother from the Big Bad Wolf and bring winter back to the Western Woods, and find the strength inside her to learn what it means to be a Red Warden.