Young Kindan has no expectations other than joining his father in the mines of Camp Natalon, a coal mining settlement struggling to turn a profit far from the great Holds where the presence of dragons and their riders means safety and civilization Mining is fraught with danger Fortunately, the camp has a watch-wher, a creature distantly related to dragons and uniquely suited to specialized work in the dark, cold mineshafts Kindan's father is the watch-wher's handler, and his son sometimes helps him out But even that important job promises no opportunity outside the mine Then disaster strikes