Former wizard Hamilton Swoop, antique and junk shop proprietor, and his telepathic cat, are drawn into the fray when he purchases a trunk that turns out to contain magical items and the desiccated corpse of his former mentor. He decides to return the materials to the Wizards Guild in Central City only to discover that he has been slated by the Guild to kill the dragon menacing the city of Norkon. There, he discovers that the dragon is but a symptom of a much larger problem that threatens magic, itself.