Granted a pardon from King Harthhold, cousins Caladin and Quinn are once again free to roam the lands of Orn. Their journey leads them to Laumberden, a coastal lumber town, where they're covertly employed to steal secrets from Baron Ecklon, the town's leader. Their mission takes an unexpected turn when they unmask their enigmatic employer: Lady Noxaura, leader of the Boars, who betrays them by attempting to apprehend them for the very theft she hired the cousins to commit. Caladin and Quinn ally themselves with a secret organization, the Wolves, adversaries of the Boars, who have vowed to derail Lady Noxaura's scheme to dominate the flourishing lumber town. At the heart of the conspiracy is an evil priest devoted to the lich-god Vykosch, who has set his eye on taking control of the entire North. His ambition hinges on conquering the Tri-Towns, starting with Laumberden's economic takeover. In a desperate bid to foil this dark plot, Caladin and Quinn, alongside the Wolves and Galaron-a shadow weaver and the high priest's nemesis-engage in a fierce struggle to save Laumberden from descending into darkness. If they fail, it could spell doom for the Tri-Towns, granting the high priest the necessary might to subjugate a vast expanse of the continent.