Princess Tara of Helium, still offended by Gahan of Gathol after their awkward first meeting, flies away alone and is swept by a violent storm into the unknown land of Bantoom, where she is captured by the grotesque Kaldanes, creatures consisting largely of heads and crab-like legs that control headless humanoid bodies called rykors. Gahan sets out in search of her, conceals his identity under the name Turan, reunites with Tara, and escapes with her and the Kaldane Ghek, only for the three travelers to become lost in strange country and eventually fall into the hands of the isolated warriors of Manator. There Tara is treated as a valuable captive while Turan struggles to protect her without revealing that he is actually the ruler she once rejected, carrying their growing bond into an even more dangerous conflict.
