Spiritdancer is an epic tale which takes place in the fantasy world of Iasegald. The Baresian swordsman, Kallias, pursues his sister's kidnappers into the strange land of Marisko, where nearbeasts and sea monsters hunt men. He meets Dealla, the last of the changeling race of rekinnder.

Kallias, Dealla and a mystic named Guin rescue a handful of other kidnapped women and train them as an army to go up against the mad magician Yungir and his Bloodfish Navy, who holds Asadia, the Baresian's sister.

The Rekinnder language is used by Dealla throughout the book. There is a Rekinnder lexicon and dictionary in the back of the book as well as some select translations not explained in the body of the book.