Since the Day of Reckoning witches and magic had been outlawed on Eileanan. The great towers, once centres of learning, are now abandoned ruins. The penalty for practising witchcraft is death.

In a hidden valley deep in the mountains, in the shadow of the peak of Dragonclaw, Isabeau the Foundling grows to womanhood in the care of Meghan, an old wood witch. But Isabeau's destiny lies outside the valley: she must set out on a perilous quest carrying the last hopes of the persecuted witches.

Meanwhile the sea-dwelling Fairgean stir, children vanish in the night, and Isabeau's guardian climbs Dragonclaw to seek guidance from the most ancient and dangerous wisdom in the land...