In a classic tale of sword and sorcery, the naive monk, Crying Owl, befriends a savage barbarian, a wizard returned from hell and a thief survivor. Each has their own amoral faults; Kovok practically begs for trouble, always spoiling for a fight. Hell wants to finish corrupting Spellscar. Eliza is hounded by corrupt lawmen. They are pursued by the law, by demons and by Crying Owl's own order who thinks he should surrender them. Doing the right thing when both your allies and enemies are willing to kill each other is Crying Owl's greatest moral test. Does Crying Owl have any hope of redeeming his friends, or even just surviving the obstacles before him?