On the borderlands of the kingdom of Deran, a young scout fights off an attack by goblin raiders and stumbles across the scene of a massacre. Swearing to bring justice for the slain and driven by a family secret, Dar Cabot strikes out into the Wilderness, enlisting the help of an unlikely band of allies: a halfling spy with a tragic past, a widowed elven priestess, the adopted son of a famous wizard, two sisters fleeing their oppressive homeland, and a laid-back warrior accused of a crime he did not commit. Together the new-found companions uncover the plans of the shadowy Ja'al cult and its inhuman allies, who seek a secret weapon from a bygone empire hidden near a mountain named Whitehorse Peak. Dogged by an ancient prophecy that seems to call them out by name, Dar and his companions discover friendship, romance, intrigue, and startling revelations as they race against time to unravel the mystery before the Ja'al. As they fight their way through the dark caverns and green woodlands of the frontier, they are repeatedly forced to choose between Light and Darkness, love and hate, friendship and isolation. Their final confrontations with evil test their resolve to the limit.