Best friends Quentin and Julia are recruited for an entrance exam to Brakebills University, a secret institution for magical pedagogy.
Quentin faces expulsion for his involvement in an otherworldly attack on Brakebills; Julia delves deeper into underground magic and tries to prove herself to the Hedge Witches.
Quentin and Julia have an unexpected and volatile reunion; Penny is overwhelmed by his own psychic abilities; Alice is determined to find out the truth behind her brother's disappearance.
The students each deal with a personal matter that keeps them from focusing on the upcoming Welter's Tournament.
The first-year students are put through The Trials, a series of unconventional tests that must be passed to stay at Brakebills.