In the ancient city of Meden, in the desert of Urdu, street kid Taye Sunesh prepares to join an adult gang. It's an event he's dreamed about since his adoptive parents threw him out onto the streets four years ago. Taye spends his days robbing, fighting, and causing mischief with his friends. But he also visits the old man Karesh at the Brandirum Lodge. The man claims to be a Seer of Kakut-an infamous cult of magicians who cling to the old ways, from a time when magic was common place, humans fought other sentient races, and the gods walked the earth. Taye sees the knowledge that Karesh freely imparts as a chance, perhaps, to become more than the urchin life has forced him to be. Days before he turns eighteen, however, someone new steps into his life. From the distant western lands of Corana, the girl named Thesaly is beautiful and mysterious. Their meeting fills him with hope. Yet, as the boy tries to win the beautiful stranger over, Karesh warns him of a prophecy foretold by the first Seer of Kakut, which threatens her very existence. At first, Taye dismisses it, but as the situation on the streets of Meden deteriorates, he soon realizes that Thesaly is in danger. As the web surrounding her tightens, Taye is forced to choose a path that will send him beyond the walls of Meden, into a world where Karesh's prophecies become terrifying reality.