Thorinn felt pretty bad. First his father and brothers (who had given him a name meaning "flea") force him down a dry well. Then he falls through the bottom. Things couldn't possibly get worse. But they do...

Buried alive, Thorinn discovers that the only way out is down. He travels to the center of the earth, visiting strange principalities, hidden worlds encysted in mammoth caverns, old and young races, and a ruling intellegence. Through all this Thorinn succeeds (for the most part) in keeping his good heart (with a few lessons in patience along the way) and sense of curiosity.