In the Known Lands, it is said that when one powerful prophecy dies in its fulfilling, yet another is born. In the land where Jack, the Baker's Boy, successfully fulfilled his birth destiny, a new prophecy arises in the harsher, more exotic lands to the north. There, two young residents, Raif Sevrance, a member of Clan Blackhail, and Ash March, a girl who is suddenly overcome by ominous dreams, find themselves mysteriously drawn together. Swept up by a series of powerful events that will bring their peoples into a vast war, the two encounter dark magic, great bravery, and unimaginable danger in this first masterpiece.