The books starts with Tomas dreaming about dragons and Ashen-Shugar's old nemesis Draken-Korin. Next we see Arkan at a meeting of moredhel clans organized by Narab to welcome the Taredhel to Midkemia. Arkan leaves the meeting early to go talk with his auntie Liallan instead. After Arkan tells Liallan of his dream involving his defense of a black-robed human magician, Liallan instructs Arkan to go south to the human lands like his father Gorath once did to seek out the magician. The concluding chapters set up the beginning of the next novel Magician's End.