Eric and Case, entering a small door under a railway bridge, find themselves in a strange Aligned World, where there is a struggle for power. The wall at the edge of this world between worlds has been destroyed, and the pilgrims are forced to flee from the Tormentors, terrible creatures that have burst through the breach. And there are rumors that one of the Great Dragons has broken free from a heavenly prison. But there are even more terrible things: there is very little time left before the transformation of the Friend and Owner of Lord Wu into God, and an ethereal entity called the Shadow is wandering aimlessly across Levaal, copying Eric’s appearance and possessing Great power, without yet realizing it. The end may come sooner than anyone thinks...