Picking up right where Gateways, Book I of The Elemental Chronicles left off, Victoria believes that she'll be home tomorrow. After all, she defeated Ona, the mage who killed her father, and essentially saved the world. Or did she? Ona may be gone, but her followers are not. While they try to track her down, trouble brews in the Sphinx City where Elder Parnassus has been stripped of his elder-ship and the political atmosphere is tense, made worse by rivers turning to blood, fly infestations, and a plague of frogs that defile the city. Parnassus knows that the Mage Societies most valued possession - Faith - is at risk. But without Victoria to help, his hands...um, paws are tied.