Found in the desert as a baby by monks who named him, thirteen-year-old Marcus, who has been confined to a wheelchair ever since he can remember, knows nothing of his background and endures the difficulties of his daily life in various foster homes and schools by dreaming of Farworld, a magical place whose pull seems to be getting increasingly stronger.

Four mythical Elementals—Water, Land, Air, and Fire—have the power to save two worlds, Earth and Farworld, from a common enemy: the Dark Circle.

Marcus, a disabled boy from Earth, and Kyja, a girl with no magic from Farworld, travel with Cascade, a Water Elemental, toward Land Keep, the home of the powerful and wise Land Elementals. However, their journey may end before it even begins. Land Keep is empty, deserted for at least

...

It's been six months since Marcus and Kyja obtained the help of the land and water elementals, but before they can secure the help from the mysterious air elementals, the two friends must first be reunited. A task easier said than done.
Master Therapass is worried that trying to pull Marcus to Farworld would put him in danger of the shadow realm, but if Marcus stays on Earth, he'll be sent back to the Philo T. Justice School for Boys instead...

With no word from Kyja, the people of Farworld are beginning to face the possibility that she is truly dead, and the quest to save Farworld and Earth has failed. In an effort to find a way to bring Kyja back, Marcus must enter the most dangerous place possible the realm of shadows.

Meanwhile, Kyja wakes up in a world of lost souls and memories. With no idea who she is, she wanders Fire Keep, home to the most quick tempered of the elementals....