A magical race of tiny beings lives on Earth today. Because of an ancient dispute, however, humans are totally unaware of their hidden civilization. They are kirins. For thousands of years they have lived in peace, but a deadly menace now threatens their existence. In this first volume of the trilogy, a party of daring explorers, led by the wise magician, Speckarin, is sent to destroy the evil that lurks a continent and an ocean away. Failure of this mission would mean death to the voyagers and to the entire kirin race. But their success will depend on aid from a truly unexpected source—human beings.