The story begins with Firestar out in the forest. He gets caught by his own apprentice, Bramblepaw. The next day he becomes a warrior, Brambleclaw. Meanwhile, Firestar's dreams become disturbed by wailing cats, and he eventually goes to the Moonstone, looking for answers. He finds out that the cats are SkyClan cats, the lost Clan from many moons ago. There, he has a discussion with his closest friends, who are his deputy, Graystripe, his medicine cat, Cinderpelt, and his mate, Sandstorm. They decide that Firestar must go. He picks up Sandstorm on his way out of the camp, and heads off along the river.