Blamed for the disaster that has overwhelmed his lakeside home, the boy, Tark, is forced to flee. Deep in the desert he finds a hidden valley inhabited by another people who spare his life because he is so young. He learns to assimilate into their culture but when survivors of his own clan arrive, he faces an irresolvable dilemma. Set in no particular place or time, is an unputdownable story of environmental disaster, superstition, and survival.