Erki is a careless yet idealistic youth who is neither a hero nor a foreordained savior. He discovers that some of those around him are not what they seem, and while some wish him well, others wish him harm because they believe he represents an older, benevolent power. Believing himself to be the fulfillment of a prophesy that is, at best, only implied in some old writings and by the words of an old woman, Erki embarks on a journey to find an antidote for the plague that is killing his brother and destroying his beloved city. He has some harrowing adventures and is helped along the way by the...

The Fades, several worlds far from Earth, are home to many exotic creatures and people: Swink, the scoundrel, is just trying to survive a journey through the Hag's Wood; The halo-stage technician Welry is in love with Senda who is in love with Welry's best friend, but this is not a typical love triangle; the student Magda spends her tuition to parole a comatose treasure hunter, hoping to discover where his hidden wealth is; and the forgetful goddess, Faience, seeks to destroy a wicked city, and the only one standing in her way is Famij, a house painter.

Erki has brought mrinta back, a cure for the deadly plague that was ravaging the Oldenburg. Now, he has discovered that mrinta is as deadly as the plague, as many have fallen under its evil spell and are dying, including his brother. He pleads with his khoirey friends to end mrinta's grip on the Oldenburg but finds himself on another quest to save his city from mrinta's curse.