The story takes place in one of the worlds of the Cosmere. On the tropical island of Patji, a lone trapper is fishing. The wild jungle is fraught with many dangers and is inhabited by predators who track their victims through the waves of the mind. Only birds endowed with a special gift can protect against these predators. One day, the trapper discovers that not only the island wants him dead, a threat hangs over the entire world he is familiar with.