Desperately trying to cross the treacherous desert to Miern, Raf is thrown into a world that his Forest upbringing hasn't prepared him for: a massive, sprawling city, teeming with violence, corruption and intrigue, where he hopes to not only rescue the kidnapped ishranga, but also find a cure for the disease that is ravaging the Forest. Meanwhile back at home, the foresters discover that their Miernan 'guests' have their own hidden agenda and the entire Forest is thrown into disarray as their carefully laid schemes unfold in an unexpected - and often brutal - way. As the very ground underneath them starts falling away, the peaceful villagers must take matters into their own hands. Raf meets some new, rather mysterious friends, but then unwittingly finds himself at the center of a huge conspiracy, which has consequences that reach far beyond the city limits, and threaten not only his mission in Miern, but his life. With the fate of the dying Forest in his hands, he knows he must find a cure and get back before everything he knows and loves is destroyed.