From dungeon to cathedral, from brothel to hermit's hut, the gambits of the mighty face the power of seers and stars. In the fortress of Bren, mad King Kylock and the wizard Baralis spread their terror across the kingdoms. Meanwhile, the fallen knight Tawl and Jack, the baker's boy, meet in a quest to save widowed Melliandra and her unborn child.

At Castle Harvell, demented Prince Kylock grabs the reins of power by murdering his father. Harvell's two young refugees are torn apart by the storms of war: headstrong young Melliandra is captured by brutal slavers and Jack, whose wild power works miracles, falls prey to a smuggler's lying charms and a woman's seductive schemes.

At Castle Harvell, two fates collide. Melliandra refuses to marry the sinister Prince Kylock while an apprentice named Jack is terrified by his sudden ability to work miracles. Together they flee the castle, pursued by the sorcerer Baralis, while elsewhere a knight embarks on a perilous voyage of his own.