Above the kingdoms that lie on the shores of the sea of Vilmara, a new star has risen into the night. A red star portending evil and death, an omen star. After a long sojourn in the East, the sorcerer Israfel Al-Malik returns home and finds the lands in turmoil. His old ally, the King of Hesperia, is dead under mysterious circumstances, and he seeks the truth. Everywhere there are signs of plots and counterplots, signs of darkness working beneath the surface.

The king's granddaughter, Amarantha, is caught in a web of intrigue, hemmed in my power-hungry wizards who seek to use her to control the realm, and when she and Israfel join forces, they learn there is much more than that at stake. An ancient evil - older than their civilization - is awake again. From out of the dark past comes a nameless power. One who has devoured entire empires to feed his hunger, and who will do so again unless he is stopped.