A talented knife-maker with a natural affinity with the elements of the earth, Katla Aransen, the beautiful and rebellious daughter of an Eyran merchant, finds herself targeted by Istrian fanatics after she accidentally commits sacrilege and by Saro Vingo, a young Istrian noble who falls in love with her.

Since the dawn of time on the world of Elda, three magical beings controled the balance of their world and everything in it. The people and the creatures of Elda lived in harmony and peace through the support of three godlike entities: The Woman, the Man, and the Beast. But far in the past the protective balance of the Three was disrupted by the greed and lust of one man - the greatest sorcerer Elda has ever known. Rahe, master of magic, through cunning...