A starving coal burner finds a book that should never have been found, and a wicked bargain twists him into something strange. Beneath the gnarled, whispering boughs of the Harahus, a wild archer Princess, a grieving Shieldmaiden and a gentle gardener chase a cure through dragon-fire and enchanted towers. Far away, on a humble Eplie farm, a shy girl with a glowing mark waits for a stranger on the road. The four Stars are stirring.