The story begins with the capping of Jack, one of Will Parker's friends. Will's community looks to be living in the 1800s as there are no machines or electrical devices, although Tripods are commonplace. In preparing for the capping of Jack, Will and Henry deliver food to vagrants which are people whose capping didn't go well. Living among them is Ozymandias who reveals to Will the secret of the White Mountains where men live free. Jack is capped, and returns to the village as a controlled mind. Will and Henry start their voyage to the White Mountains.

Two cousins, Will and Henry Parker, resist the capping process. Under the guidance of a man named Ozymandias, they flee their homes in search of other free humans who are hiding in the White Mountains.

Will and Henry cross over to France, but they are captured upon their arrival and held for the Tripods to complete their capping.

After escaping from prison with a new friend named Beanpole, Will and Henry travel to Paris, which is a ruined city inhabited by dangerous people.

Will becomes ill, and the three companions go into hiding at the Chateau Ricordeau. Will ends up in a romantic triangle with the daughter of a count named Eloise and the Duc de Sarlat.

Will and Eloise´s relationship blossoms into love. This becomes a problem, as he must choose between her and continuing on to the White Mountains.

Will stays behind as Henry and Beanpole leave to continue the quest. Will discovered that Eloise has been capped.

Eloise is taken away to serve the Tripods will in a tournament. Will gives up on her and leaves to catch up with Henry and Beanpole, but is captured again by Tripods. The Tripods set him free to find his friends, but why?

The Tripods strategy is revealed when a homing bug is found in Will. The device is removed, but it´s a bloody accomplishment and he is left very weak. Now they are trapped in a tunnel.

Winter is coming, and Will wants to find the White Mountains soon, but Henry and Beanpole want to stay at with the Vichot family. However, Jeannie Vichot´s fiance is a black guard, and he´s checking the boys out.

Having left the Vichot family, the trio struggles to reach the White Mountains. They try to steal some food, but end up being chased into a forest by black guards.

The boys are caught and put on trial for stealing bread, and Daniel again faces the possibility of capping. Again they escape, but get lost and end up in Tripod country.

A Tripod is destroyed. Racing towards the White Mountains, the black guards capture the boys and an interrogation begins.

The season opens with the boys in the White Mountains, training with the free men to enter the Tripod´s games. Only the best will be selected by Julius.

All the boys have been chosen to participate in the games. Now comes a trip to Germany, to reach the games stadium.

Will is arrested after a fight while drunk, Beanpole is missing, and Fritz may head for the games without them. Will and Beanpole end up on the run from Goetz.

With some help from Zerlina and Papagena, Will and Beanpole escape from Goetz, and make their way to the stadium just in time for the games.

The games are over. The Tripods take Will and Fritz to the City of Gold, leaving Beanpole behind. The city seems to be escape-proof.

Fritz is made a slave somewhere beneath the city, and Will is placed in the service of Master 468, an alien who belongs to the race that created the Tripods.

Will wants to find Eloise again, and Fritz is promoted from his slave life into the Power Elite, where he makes a new friend, Pierre.

As Will and Fritz become more aware of what the Masters have planned for the Earth, they are brought to the Pool of Fire, where they meet one of the most powerful creatures in the City, a Cognosc.

Having read Will´s mind, the Cognosc knows why the boys have trained to infiltrate the City.

Will kills his master when he tries to check out Will´s cap. He tries to leave the City via an underground channel.

Fritz chooses to stay in the City, and Beanpole saves Will from drowning during his escape. They make it to a nearby town, and hide from the black guards in a circus.

Will and Beanpole pretend to be clowns in Ali Pasha´s circus. Their goal now is to get back to the White Mountains and tell the free men about what the Masters are going to do to Earth. They are doublecrossed by Ali, though, who intends to give them all to the Tripods to finally receive their capping.