Sam is a blacksmith in a small rural township. He has spent his whole life there and is quite content with his lot. Now, however, things are changing. For some reason a mature, red dragon has taken up residence in a cave outside the town and it has already killed Ralf and his family. As a member of the group sent to find help to deal with the dragon, Sam is leaving town for the first time in his life. And the outside world is nothing like the safe, predictable existence that he has been used to until now. He learns of other races in the world and the mighty wars between them that have shaped the whole land, wars that are still being fought and have a great deal to do with the arrival of the dragon. Can Sam and his compatriots survive the journey and find a way to rid the town of its dragon problems? That is for the reader to discover as he follows the young blacksmith through his journey and sees a completely different person end the trip to the one who had started out.