Pulled from the sea, pierced by arrows and close to death, Knot has no memory of who he was and a Tiellan woman, whose people have long been oppressed by humans, is married to and abandoned by Knot on the same day. In her search for him, she will discover her control of magic, but risks losing herself entirely. Their fates and those of others will intertwine, in a land where magic and daemons are believed dead, but dark forces still vie for power.