Bran is called home from the battlefield to his mother's deathbed, where he vows to solve the mystery of what fatally attacked her and the clan's chieftain in the night. Though many have dismissed it as a wolf attack, she insists it was not, and encourages him to seek the counsel of Talhaiarn, druid advisor to their clan. Bran discovers other clans have suffered similar attacks--horrors Talhaiar suspects are the handiwork of Cerridwen, a rogue priestess of a sisterhood that dwells on a island surrounded by the misty waters of Lake Tegid.
On his journey, Bran encounters the fiery Lucia, widow to a Roman centurion, and her strangely-gifted stable boy, Gwion--an enigmatic child graced with understanding beyond his years. Lucia possesses "the Sight," an ability that has plagued her from the time she was a small girl, tormenting her with disturbing visions of events that invariably come to pass. Fate leads her to discover many of her maternal ancestors were masterful women gifted with similar psychic abilities and that some of them have been watching her from the shadows for years.
Upon returning to his village, Bran finds himself at odds with the hot-tempered Aelhaearn, who is determined to become their clan's next chieftain. To Aelhaearn's disappointment, Bran's sister, now priestess in her mother's place, convinces the clan to choose Bran for the honor instead. In the aftermath of their conflict, Bran discovers something shocking about his rival that causes him to doubt his sister's decision.
Slowly, all are pulled into the seductive maelstrom of Cerridwen's power, struggling to anticipate her next move as she masterfully exposes and exploits any weakness she discovers.
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