After a century of mining, Peregrine is tired. He is an aging dragon who can't hear a simple conversation for himself—he relies on the help of keen-eared weasel assistants, whom he raises like his own children. But with his two hundred year lifespan, Peregrine has buried four of his dear companions and he will outlive Tillian as well. Convinced that he is robbing Tillian of her short life, Peregrine resolves to change his profession. He promises himself that he'll set his earferrin free. The same day Peregrine takes wing for a messenger job, Rose's village faces an epidemic. Dozens of insect-like people are showing symptoms of gripthia—and without enough healing magic, they will die. Young and recently hurried into her mage position, Rose can't save her village alone. She sends out a plea for other races to lend their hands. And because Tillian wants to help, Peregrine leaves his other half behind sooner than he ever planned. While innocent people grow sicker, Peregrine wonders whether he can live for himself, whether Tillian wants to live without him, and whether Rose and her villagers will live at all.

Aster Hane has all the things her insectoid people cherish: a hard-working husband, new children, and a talent for her family's traditional craftwork. What Aster doesn't have is what she senses in the wind, the knowledge of the world beyond her small village. Then she meets Llarez of Arkiere, a dragon storyteller. With his jester's approach to life, Llarez doesn't mind doing an errand for Aster—and he doesn't mind when Aster accidentally asks for more than she intended. With new thoughts planted in her mind, Aster begins to question whether her race's ideal life is what she actually wants for herself. Llarez is glad to help her find the answer, but that only makes the choice harder.

They built new homes under mountain maples, hoping for luck. But for the aemets—the insect-like folk of Aloftway village—there has been much work and meagre reward. After poor harvests and a brush with forest fire, now wolves are striking down folk who venture into the forest. Without a precedent in their legends to guide them, all aemetkind knows to do is hope and pray. Rue is a young aemet coming of age in this troubled community. Named after a lucky plant, she has never cared much for luck. She believed from the start that it was folly to move here, and when fellow aemets start turning up dead, Rue is through waiting. With her chemistry skills, her keen mind and a guard dog at her side, Rue promises herself that she’ll solve Aloftway’s problems. But she’ll need help from Felixi, a game hunter of the dragon-like korvi race—who knows more about the wolf attacks than he’s willing to share.