Arik Tereison's made peace with his lot in life: twenty-two and stuck in his parents' house, awaiting his inevitable conscription into a decades-long war. But after an unexplained attack sends him fleeing home in the middle of the night—told only to hide and wait—he decides he's done with waiting. It's time to change. Accompanied by old friends and new strangers, Arik sets off on a journey across the country to confront the tyrannical ruler of the realm.