the Evil Wizard Henig destroyed Taridawil, turning the prosperous province into a Black Desert. Karana's merchant parents were slain by Henig's foul minions as they took her to be betrothed to a lord's son. seventeen-year-old Karana has emerged from struggling to survive a brutal winter in the Forest of Ryylyn - a full year on her own with no human contact - only to discover that the foul wizard has demanded that the King turn her over or the rest of the Realm will follow Taridawil's fate. Compounding the problem is that Karana is now the head of her powerful merchant House and has that reach far beyond one small Realm.