In a world scarred by an apocalyptic past, four people are swept up in the launch of an imminent crusade, during which they are ensnared by mysterious traveler Anasûrimbor Kellhus, whose magical, philosophical, and military talents have origins in a distant time.

Bakker's utterly foreign world, Earwa, is as complex as that of Tolkien. He creates an extraordinary cast of nationalities and races involved in an enormous holy war set off by an unseen prophet, Maithanet. He casually drops for half the story an increasingly important character, Anasûrimbor Kellhus (aka "the Prince of Nothing"), who finally returns without a breath of exposition. The amiable and wise sorcerer spy Drusas Achamian binds the myriad narrative threads together.