A mythical city: a dangerous quest... As the fledgling dragons and their keepers forge a passage through the uncharted waters of the Rain Wild River, they are supported by the liveship Tarman, its captain, Leftrin, and Alise Finbok, who has escaped her cruel marriage in Bingtown.

A vial of dragon blood can earn a man enough gold to last a lifetime: there may be some in the party who see the dragons as more valuable as body parts than whole and alive. But it is the Rain Wilds themselves - mysterious, unstable and ever perilous - that may provide the deadliest danger as they make their way towards the mythical haven of Kelsingra.

The hazards of that journey will push them all to the very brink of survival.