On the planet Kelanni, the intelligent inhabitants, who have tails and white blood, are ruled by a malevolent leader known as the Prophet. It is rumored that the Prophet does not look like the people of Kelanni and that he has no tail. Some people even believe that he may be from off-world, but no one seems to know the real truth.
The Prophet uses his Keltars to rule over the land, spreading fear and outrage as the Keltar enter villages and steal away many of the young, sometimes killing in the process. The slaves are then herded off to the Lodestone mines to dig for the precious metal. Lodestone, which fall to the planet's surface as meteorites, has the quality of being able to repel itself from other Lodestone. The Keltar use this metal in their winged cloaks to push off from the Lodestone and glide over the country.
Shann is a young woman who is small for her age. She lost both of her parents when she was eight turns old when soldiers, under the order of a Keltar, took her parents away to mine Lodestone. She lives in the town of Corte and works in an inn as a kitchen aide. While standing outside a fruit vendor's stall, she witnesses what she takes to be a Keltar attack another Keltar. She finds this interesting since no Keltar has ever attacked another. The attacking Keltar, who becomes injured in the battle, flees toward her and presses an object into her hand before expanding his cloak, pushing off some Lodestone, and flying away. The other Keltar witnesses the handoff and order his soldiers to capture Shann. Turning around fleeing through the town, Shann realizes that she must not be caught, although she doesn't know why.
Keris is a female Keltar who has been questioning her beliefs in the way of the Keltar. She is starting to doubt that violence and turning the people of Kalanni into slaves is not the best way to live. When she is attacked by a giant bird and rescued by a strange little creature called a Chandara named Boxx, Keris learns about the true plans of the Prophet. She vows then and there to put a stop to his evil plans and save her people. When she is charged with hunting down the false Keltar that attacked one of their own, she uses this opportunity to switch sides and join him.
The false Keltar, a man known as Lyall, has gathered together his friend, Alondo, a musician who is something of an inventor, and Shann, and they head off to save some Lodestone slaves. On their journey, Lyall, who did have some actual training as a Keltar before he turned into a rebel, begins teaching Shann how to use Lodestone to fly. He gives Shann an extra flying cloak and also begins to teach her how to fight.
When Lyall, Alondo and Shann attempt to rescue the slaves, they fall into a trap that has been set for them. They are rescued by Keris and Boxx, who soon join their party, although Shann has a hard time believing that a real Keltar could go against the ruling of the Prophet. She vows to herself that she will keep a close eye on this Keris and doesn't trust her within an inch of her life.
When Lyall, Alondo and Shann learn of the devastating weapon that that the Prophet is attempting to build, they all band together to put a stop to his plans. With Keltar hot on their trail, they make their way across the Eastern Plains, Gillah Hills, Fire Pits of Kharthrun to the Aronak Sea. They must pass through the Sea of Storms to reach their destination. They must safely transverse through the Barrier, where no one has gone before, if they are to succeed. But with the most vicious of the Keltar on their tails, they realize that they must act quickly before the Prophet succeeds with his cruel plans.