The imperial throne has been won, but the fate of young Hinkkel, the new emperor of the Outer Lands, does not become any less calm. The court is beset by intrigue, the country continues to be threatened by the increasing attacks of rat packs led by strange, intelligent individuals, and - worst of all - in a forgotten city in the depths of the Hopeless Wasteland, the inhuman creature Quinzell, the embodiment of the ancient world Evil, is gathering strength. To save the country from turning into a lifeless desert, the young emperor will have to fight with the rat lord, and in this he can only count on the help of his brother-in-arms, the sand cat Murri, the wise dollwoman Ravinga and her former student Alitta, the head of the restored House of Vurop. …