The following version of the book was used to create this study guide: Sutherland, Tui, Wings of Fire Book 1; The Dragonet Prophecy. Scholastic Press, New York, NY, 2012. Kindle AZW file.

The land of Pyrrhia is inhabited by seven tribes of dragons, the SandWings, SeaWings, MudWings, SkyWings, NightWings, IceWings, and RainWings. In the land of the SandWings, a scavenger killed the queen leaving her three daughters – Blister, Burn, and Blaze – locked in a battle to take over the throne. The three have created alliances, and their fight has become a war that affects the entire land. NightWings have special abilities, and Morrowseer issued a prophecy that foretold of five young dragons who would bring an end to the war. A group known as the Talons of Peace take it upon themselves to help the prophecy come true, and the members gather the five eggs they believe to be the key to ending the war. An evil queen breaks one of the eggs. A member vows to find a replacement, though it is not an exact match.

Six years later, five dragonets are training in an underground cave. Clay, Tsunami, Glory, Sunny, and Starflight have bonded, much like any sibling group. Technically, they are not siblings. They are nest mates because each is from a different tribe. The dragonets have endured training and lessons from their tree minders, Kestrel, Webs, and Dune, but none of the three have offered any kindness or nurturing during that time. When Morrowseer arrives to see the dragonets for the first time, he is obviously angry that a RainWing is in the group, which was not part of his prophecy. He orders the minders to kill Glory. The others become determined to escape now that Glory's life is on the line, and they succeed in getting out of the cave. But, they lead the evil Queen Scarlet of the SkyWings directly to the cave. She kills one of the minders and captures the five dragonets. She is in alliance with Burn, one of the SandWings seeking the throne.

Scarlet has dozens of prisoners, and she pits dragons against each other for sport. Over their days as captives, Clay meets a SkyWing named Peril who has so much fire that no other dragon can touch her. An unlikely friendship emerges though both know they might eventually have to fight each other. Peril discovers that Scarlet lied about her past. Peril did not kill her twin brother, and her mother (Kestrel) is alive. Scarlet has made Peril an emotional prisoner. When the situation erupts in the Sky Kingdom, Clay and the others escape, managing to free Kestrel in the process. Peril helps but declines to leave the kingdom with them, saying she has unfinished business now that she understands more about herself and her past.

Clay and his friends arrive in the Mud Kingdom where he expects a joyous reunion with his parents. Instead, he discovers this society is indifferent about that kind of family bond. His mother wants nothing to do with him. He meets his hatch group, the other eggs that hatched on the same night he did. He realizes they have an established dynamic that he would not improve. Instead, he decides he will remain with Tsunami, Glory, Sunny, and Starflight. The five accept that they have a prophecy to fulfill, though they are uncertain about how to accomplish that mission. What they do know is that they are a family of sorts and that they care about each other.