Corleu was different from the typical dark-haired Wayfolk. His blond hair and his fascination with the legends and children's rhymes about the Cygnets, Gold King, Blind Lady, Dancer, and Warlock set him apart. When Corleu and a band of Wayfolk become trapped in an endless swamp, he crosses a threshold (an unthinkable act for Wayfolk) seeking a means of escape. This impetuous act puts him on a collision course with the legends of his childhood. This is not a simple novel. The intricately woven plot laced with surrealist qualities will appeal to mature fantasy lovers.

Following the novel The Sorceress and the Cygnet, McKillip's characters, the sorceress Nyx and her cousin Meguet, are plunged into the mystery of the firebird, whose haunting cry transforms objects at random. To uncover the identity of the legendary creature who turns into a nameless man at sunrise, they are swept to the edge of the world.