From their home in the Vale of Lakes, a group of young traders embark on a quest to make their fortune. Carrying a cargo of ancient artefacts, their journey along the River Wynnd will take them into a world both strange and terrifying. They will meet extraordinary people, witness unforgettable events and discover something that will change their lives for ever.

For the world is a far more complex place than the adventurers could have imagined. In the aftermath of a terrible war, political upheaval and family rivalries threaten to plunge the land into a new dark age. The past, it seems, is far from forgotten. And the consequences of that long-ago war are by no means played out.