Charlene “Charlie” MacLeod, was born with the very rare and dangerous ability to light fires by the sheer power of her will. This power makes her both an object of fear and a target for exploitation. At only six years of age Charlie returns from a day trip with her father, Jack MacLeod to find that her mother murdered by government agents bent on capturing her to exploit her powers.
For the next two years Charlie and Jack go on the run, barely managing to stay ahead of the federal government. During this time Charlie finds herself facing a number of moral dilemmas as she is repeatedly forced to use her power to survive and protect herself and her father from capture.
Eventually, Charlie and Jack are captured by the NSA and taken to their Fallow Point Compound in South Carolina. Charlie is convinced to submit to experimentation on her powers by Robin Striker, an old friend of her father’s, who poses as an ally. Charlie ultimately learns that Robin is manipulating her and attempts to escape. During the course of this escape Robin fatally shoots Jack, and Charlie proceeds to incinerate him along with the entire Fallow Point compound.
Two weeks later, David and Catherine McAuliffe, a young couple gifted with similar powers to Charlie, discover Charlie in Central Park New York. David and Catherine adopt Charlie as their own daughter but quickly find themselves the target of the NSA which now seeks to kill Charlie and anyone who knows of her existence.
Once again on the run, Charlie is attacked in the night by a government Asset and fatally poisoned. After a near death experience it becomes clear that Charlie is more than just a pyrokinetic, though neither she nor her adoptive parents yet realize her true importance.
Without any other options, David takes Catherine and Charlie to his father’s home in northern Scotland where he learns that Charlie is gifted with the power to unlock a pair of legendary weapons capable of channeling incredible power.
David’s father, James Lenox, encourages David to have Charlie unlock one of the weapons and to train her to use her power for good. Having previously rejected their powers in favor of trying to live a normal life both David and Catherine are resistant to James’ advice but in the end to encourage Charlie to unlock one of the weapons and begin her training.
Not long after Charlie begins her training, a new threat emerges in the form of the Black Empire, a malevolent nation led by men and women who have chosen to use their powers for selfish gain. Charlie, David and Catherine are taken by the Black Empire and separated. Charlie is first subjected to torment. Then she is offered both the promise of power and revenge for the deaths of her father and mother.
Since the death of her parents, Charlie has carried around a tremendous amount of anger and a powerful desire for revenge. Charlie knows that this desire is wrong and has been taught from an early age to fear her power and to believe that using her power is dangerous and wrong. Still she cannot let go of her anger and desire for her revenge and is tempted by the promise of revenge and the freedom to use her power at will.
Charlie struggles internally with her own anger and desire for revenge and nearly gives in when she is brought face to face with Robin Striker, whom she had previously believed she had killed.
After narrowly rejecting revenge, Charlie escapes with David and Catherine only to be confronted by Robin who challenges her to face him one on one. Charlie accepts, knowing that she will easily kill him and quickly finishes Robin off with a decapitating sword stroke.
After killing Robin, Charlie along with David and Catherine are recaptured by Black Imperial troops and Charlie is forced to face her own inner darkness. With some difficulty Charlie rejects temptation and learns to control her anger and desire for revenge. Though she still hates the people she views as responsible for the deaths of her mother and father and her own suffering Charlie learns that she can control these feelings and reaffirms her desire not to misuse her power.
