Bethral is a mercenary, wise in the ways of weaponry and warfare, but not so good when it comes to dealing with people. Ezren is a quick-witted storyteller, a weaver of mesmerising tales - and more, for the rarest magic, wild magic, runs through his body. But wild magic is rogue, uncontrollable and deadly, and if Ezren is to survive, he will have to rid himself of it, or learn to wield it.

And the unlikely couple find they have other, equally pressing concerns, for the portal that wrenched them from their home has dropped them in the middle of the Plains, leaving Bethral badly injured.

And not only are the people of the Plains warriors, with their own code of honour and their own rules of pleasure and partnership; they are also in the middle of a civil war. To stay alive, Bethral and Ezren must learn new customs, confront their enemies, and conceal Ezren's fiery power ... for the wild magic in Ezren is also of the Plains.

And when they find that out, they will want it back - even if they have to kill Ezren to do so.