What do Vodnik, a green-haired, water-dwelling scoundrel, and Baba Yaga, an old witch who lives in a Hut Standing on One Bird's Leg, have in common? Not much-except that both are shocked to learn that all giants, known as ispolins, have disappeared.
Goran is the only former ispolin who knows how and why it happened. But for God Perun, the supreme god of thunder, this was the only logical way to end the quest he had put Goran through-a quest to find and present to God Perun three golden apples and prove ispolins worthy.
Now Goran's quest is over, and God Perun has defeated his archenemy God Veles, the god of the Underworld. But God Veles, gravely injured during the battle, is recovering-and plotting God Perun's demise.
Goran, burdened by guilt and having lost most of his friends, sets out to find Stamat, a dwarf who once saved Goran's life but vanished shortly thereafter. And even if this means forming a very dangerous alliance, Stamat can use all the help he can get in his own quest-to convince his people to leave their underground world.
Will Goran find Stamat and help the dwarfs overcome century-old fears without getting caught in the middle of the never-ending deadly rivalry between God Perun and God Veles? All bets are off in this tale of mythical Slavic creatures, ancient gods-and the newest models of flying mortars.