In the ruined City of Ghosts, beside a misty inland sea Moon, a young Wraeththu har, comes of age, unaware of his heritage and the secrets his broken father has kept for so long. The future is about to change. Strange hara appear in the city and they are looking for his father. They know him by a different name.
In the city of Immanion, the infamous har Calanthe has ousted Thiede from power and a new age has dawned for Wraeththukind: the reverberations of its arrival shakes every corner of the earth. In the wake of this event, a remarkable child is conceived, affected by weird energies to become something more than the sum of his parents. Pellaz, the Tigron of Immanion and sovereign of all Wraeththu, discovers a huge and terrifying threat to his hara, just as they are trying to establish themselves in the ruins of human civilisation. It's a threat from beyond earthly reality, and it's searching for avatars to work in its name.
The Forest of Gebaddon is about to spew forth its captives, the disempowered Varrs. Their bitter leader, Ponclast, will be transformed into a foe worthy of taking on the Tigron himself. In the twisted forest he spawns his young, who can walk between the worlds.
In Galhea, the erstwhile stronghold of the Varrs, the Parasilian family have created a thriving community. They never think of Ponclast, who regards them as traitors to their tribe. Then the attacks begin, by assailants who cannot be seen. Help can't be sought from Immanion because the ethers are in chaos, making communication impossible. Cobweb, stranded as head of the family, must change his being to avert disaster.
Once the reality of the threat becomes clear, the warring factions of Wraeththu must unite to protect their world and venture into unimaginable new territories. Will the Tigron make the ultimate sacrifice to protect his hara?