On the train to the University of Magics and Industry, Sciona Freynan tries to control her nausea before the High Magistry exam. Alba Livian, her cousin, urges her to eat and calm down, but Sciona explains that the test matters beyond her own career because the Council rarely lets women attempt it. If Sciona fails, she fears the Council will use that failure as proof that women do not belong in research at the highest level. Alba challenges Sciona's self-image by pointing out how little attention Sciona pays to ordinary people, including Ansel, the baker's son who sent scones, forcing Sciona to wonder whether she truly cares about other women or only about her own ambition.

As the train crosses Tiran at dawn, Sciona reflects on the city she loves for its magical and industrial power. She also thinks about what she stands to lose: if she does not pass, she has promised Aunt Winny to stop chasing research and take a teaching post. Arriving at the university in her formal plum robes, Sciona moves through election crowds and into Leon's Hall, deeply aware that she is unusual as a woman in advanced research. The university's grandeur and history strengthen her sense that this exam will decide whether she can claim a place in Tiran's future.

In the antechamber, Sciona's anxiety peaks when she sees the other applicants surrounded by powerful male relatives and realizes how fully the system expects men like them to succeed. She nearly faints before her mentor, Archmage Derrith Bringham, appears and steadies her. Bringham encourages her, insists that the exam is within her power, and reveals that the other archmages are watching her closely. He also invites Alba to watch the proceedings, bending custom because Sciona herself is already an exception.

Inside Leon's Hall, Sciona and Alba sit among the examinees while Sciona studies the twelve archmages of the High Council and explains the basics of magical practice to Alba. When Jerrin Mordra, son of Archmage Mordra the Ninth, is called first, Sciona assumes family legacy will protect him. Watching his performance, however, she sees repeated weaknesses: his flashy paper-dispersal spell is imprecise, his levitation fails because of poor sourcing, his model automobile sputters out of control, and his first attempt to split granite explodes into dangerous fragments. Alba is impressed by the spectacle, but Sciona judges the underlying workmanship and explains that his practical control is poor despite his training in theory.

As more candidates perform, Sciona's fear turns into impatience and hunger to prove herself. Seeing that even privileged male applicants are flawed restores her confidence because the tasks are all work she knows she can do well. Her dread gives way to fierce eagerness, and she can barely remain seated by the time the ninth examinee finishes. At last, Archmage Supreme Orynhel calls Sciona's name, and she rises to step into the testing circle, feeling that she is walking either toward her destiny or the end of everything.