A new novel based on the fantastic role-playing universe Shadow World. On an island, two nations exist in a fragile peace: the warlike Firozians, famed for their magical swords, and the gentle Gnomons, known for their precision clocks and power over time. They face off for war following the death of a young boy, but they are soon united against a common enemy.

Swept into the perilous, magical world of Kulthea, the Shadow World, by a mysterious storm that rips through their house, Brion competes with his treacherous wife, Kella, for the safe return of their missing son.