The Twelve Tribes continues the compelling story of Jack's life, which becomes an emotional roller-coaster ride. The boisterous Dwarves add fun, the Giants melancholy, and others, laughter or tears. The highs and lows of human emotions are exposed by the Trolls.
The beginning introduces several new characters, most notably Kay, The Dark Elf. She and Jack discover much about the Ancestors, their spacecraft, and the history of all humanity.
We learn the Ancestors created the Twelve Tribes of humanity in their own image, by cloning and manipulating their own DNA, and that of existing proto-human, homo habilis, and creating their first prototype, homo ergaster.
The Shaman, an enlightened being, becomes more closely interwoven within the plot, as The Elven Prophesy indicates all Twelve Tribes must be reunited to save humanity from The Wrath of Gaia. The problem being, The Great Ogre, despotic Overlord of the Tenth Tribe, is determined to subjugate or exterminate all sentient life on planet Earth, and a series of battles ensues.