The daughter of a mortal woman and an Esper named Maduin, Terra was stolen from her parents when she was a tiny baby and raised by the Empire. Trained to develop her natural talents for magick, she became proficient in conjuring flame and how to operate the difficult and mysterious Magitek armor. Kept loyal with a headband that manipulated her mind, Terra had no idea of the horrible things she did at the direction of Kefka. But as she and two others are sent to the mining town of Narshe to investigate rumors of a frozen Esper, coming in contact with the creature has some startling affects, ending in the death of her companions and Terra falling unconscious. She awakens to find a kind man has taken her into his home and has dressed her wounds...and has removed the headband. Though she is still weak and her memory is badly marred by the device, her only hope is to escape the people of the town who only remember her as an Imperial soldier. After Terra slips off into the mining tunnels, the man sends someone after her to help. He is Locke, a member of a growing band of resistance called The Returners.

As Locke meets up with Terra and helps her escape from Narshe, he promises to take care of her and never leave her until her memory returns. He brings her to meet other members of The Returners. And when it is proven that the rumors of her ability to use magick are true, they beseech her to join them in their efforts. She eventually agrees, turning her back on the only life she ever knew, a life she lived as a mindless slave, to begin in the fight to end Emperor Gestahl's power-hungry madness.

As Terra continues to strive to understand her own abilities and uncover her own past, The Returners find themselves at Narshe once more, where the girl again comes in contact with the Esper. This time, something terrifying happens that reveals she isn't exactly...human.