The Fades, several worlds far from Earth, are home to many exotic creatures and people: Swink, the scoundrel, is just trying to survive a journey through the Hag's Wood; The halo-stage technician Welry is in love with Senda who is in love with Welry's best friend, but this is not a typical love triangle; the student Magda spends her tuition to parole a comatose treasure hunter, hoping to discover where his hidden wealth is; and the forgetful goddess, Faience, seeks to destroy a wicked city, and the only one standing in her way is Famij, a house painter.