After many perilous adventures, Simon Branthwaite and his companions have reached the wild and lonely land of the Nine Gods, to find themselves at the mercy of its fierce and xenophobic people. Their fate seems sealed, until they are saved by an amazing revelation ... but at a cost, for their lives now depend on keeping the truth behind that revelation from becoming known.

they pass a wild winter among the worshippers of the Nine Gods, gaining new knowledge that will aid their quest for the lost realm of Lyonesse. Yet it is pure chance that carries them onward to the land of their searching - a land beleaguered by its enemies. Simon is drawn into this deadly battle with the forces of evil; a battle, it seems, that cannot possibly be won ...