a force that awakens free will in adolescents.
Their solution is to separate the dæmon a creature that embodies a person's essence from all young people, creating obedient beings under the control of the Magisterium.

Lyra Belacqua is one of the main characters in this story. She is a girl on the threshold between childhood and adolescence, growing up in the protective environment of the academic world.
She is wild, clever, and innocent. Her childlike freedom, imagination, and instinct are meeting the adult world, and although she herself is still spared from separation, her best friend is not.
With the help of the Golden Compass, she sets out on her journey.

Perhaps even in our world, I still carry Lyra in my heart.
Perhaps my desire to listen to the truth has not vanished with adulthood,
and perhaps the courage to pursue my childhood dreams has not faded with fatigue and doubt."