Avid video game designer Artha Penn has no interest in racing real dragons until a legendary black-and-gold dragon named Beau chooses him to be the Dragon Booster.

With dreams of world domination, sinister Word Paynn orders his son Moordryd to steal Penn Stables' Beau.

Word Paynn uses mind control to pit Dragonfyre's fiery female racer, Pyrra, against Artha and Beau.

Desperate to gain control of the city's powerful dragon crews, Word and Moordryd hatch a scheme to bring down the influential leader of the Down City Council.

Word orders the Down City crews to retrieve a deadly artifact that contains the red "bone-mark" of the ancient war dragon Furox.

Word plots to turn Beau into a shadow dragon.