Book II in the series begins with six young apprentices settling in to learn wizard magic from their appointed Wizard.  Each of the new apprentices are very different from one another and react to their new and different living environment by fighting with or ignoring one another.  The Wizards decide that a child-minder is needed to help provide order and consistency in the young apprentices life when they are not learning from their Wizard.  But finding the right person, who is willing to care for unsettled children, interact with eccentric Wizards, and make a home in the barren landscape that is Pearland proves harder than the Wizard's expected.