The world of Ada Ev flourishes under the stewardship of the Beloran, but every now and then, for many generations of mankind, they withdraw for a period of dormancy. The care of the land and its people falls to the work of the Gifted, those who exhibit traits of the Beloran. When the stewards of Ad Ev are absent for extended periods, many doubt their teachings and follow dangerous, deadly paths.

Paq is one of the Gifted, a Wanderer. He lives during a time of Beloran absence. He begins his first journey as a Wanderer by traveling north in response to a call that leads him into the world of the Beloran, the formidable abilities of other gifted mortals, and a brewing war between two powerful regions driven by the most powerful force ever to oppose the stewards of Ada Ev. He must lead them all, at seventeen years of age.