Root is a thrall on the island of Bornholm, sold into slavery with no recollection of his former life. He's also a very unpopular thrall. He's slept with his master's favorite servant girl and as a result, he's sent out to guard the sheep from a mysterious creature that's left livestock dead all over the island. But Root's fate is about to change - as two trolls, servants of the mischievous Loki - have come to Bornholm in search of the creature and Root's going to help them, whether he wants to or not. Both gods and jotuns have long meddled in the affairs of men and Root soon finds himself irreversibly entangled in Loki's shadowy plots.