For many centuries, several tribes fought for power in the Coastal Lands. Then the Kirsi, endowed with a magical gift, came there, who were inferior to their opponents in physical strength, but could read thoughts, cause fogs, winds and fire, and also influence material forms. After one of them betrayed his fellow tribesmen to save his life, the Kirsi were defeated and scattered across the seven kingdoms of the Coastal Lands. A special caste of super-gifted sorcerers, called the Chosen, were almost entirely put to death. For centuries, relative calm reigned in the Coastal Lands. But when Thavis, heir to the royal throne from the Kergov dynasty, is wrongly accused of murdering a noblewoman, a series of events occur that ultimately lead to civil war. The turmoil that has begun is shaking the foundations of state power in Eibitar and threatens to cause unrest in all the kingdoms of the Coastal Lands. Tavis, caught in the middle of a deadly confrontation and deprived of the protection of his noble family, turns to the Kirsi as his last hope for salvation. But another Kirsi traitor, secretly sowing fear and mistrust among the Ebitar dukes, seeks to destroy Thavis. Tavis must stay alive to restore his good name and save the kingdom.