Jon Gray arrives in a foreign land in search of both an ancient relic from the era of the Old Empire and an alliance with the fierce Freeriders who patrol the plains. The young son of the enigmatic Gray Lord encounters dark forces working to wrest the terrible Staff of Sakatha from its hidden location deep inside the Mountains of the Orc.

Sakatha, the terrible King of Dragon Children, once wielded the ancient staff and now his descendants hope to regain its power and resurrect their leader. The Queen of the Dead hopes to use the staff to animate the corpse of Sakatha and increase her own power, while the Freeriders find themselves caught in the middle of the manipulations.

Jon encounters the graybeard Sir Germanius who wants nothing more than to die a glorious death, Sorus the young brewer hoping to become a knight, fat Odellius relegated to the stone working guild until he can lose weight, the dark shadow Tenebrous, and eventually the powerful First Rider himself.

Their quest takes them deep into the darkling realm where they battle children of the dragon and learn secrets of ages past. In the end the fate of the Staff of Sakatha hangs in the balance as Jon and his friends try to wrest it from its hidden tomb.