The War of the Lance is long over. The seasons come and go as the pendulum of the world swings. Now it is summer, a hot parched summer such as no one on Krynn has ever known. And an uneasy balance light and dark begins to shift.

Distraught by a grievous loss, the young mage Palin Majere seeks to enter the Abyss in search of his lost uncle, the infamous archmage Raistlin.

Elsewhere, the Dark Queen has found new champions. Devoted followers, loyal to the death, the Knights of Takhisis follow the her vision to victory. And a dark paladin, Steel Brightblade, rides to attack the High Clerist"s Tower, the fortress his father died defending.

And on a small Island, the mysterious Irda capture an ancient artifact and use it to ensure their own safety. Usha, the child of the Irda, arrives in Palanthas claiming that she is Raistlin"s daughter.

The summer will be deadly. But for whom, only the swing of the pendulum will tell.