Kip is a young thief on the hard streets of Tander in the middle of the Sparelands - a dry, hot piece of hell, hit with frequent and terrible storms. All he wants to do is leave, but first he must save enough to cover fare for the only safe exit in town: the iron wain. With six months to go, the job of a lifetime lands in his lap: To steal a vial of the Essence - a piece of myth and legend. He'll do anything to pull it off, but the question is... Will he survive?