When Kandrina's beloved older brother Perlak was taken by the fearsome Lightning Demons, she swore an oath to the gods that she would avenge him. But the Demons may not be as evil as the People's temples say they are. They may not even be responsible for her brother's death. Her tutor Remlik has another theory, but when Kandrina tries to explain it to her father, she is declared a heretic. The priests punish her, but she is rescued by a curious Demon, who takes her to their crystal city on the plains and begins teaching her that the two races are not so different.