In the troubled land being torn apart by powers of good and evil, a young Jonathan Left-Tree (aka Lifter) struggles to find his place in his world. In the process his develops a knack for acquiring things that don't belong to him. Soon he is pulled into and adventure that takes him from his home to the edges of his world to face men and monsters and discovers his own strength and value in the process. Sometimes battles aren't won by brute force, weapons and armies. Sometimes they are won by craftiness, tenacity and a touch of luck.