When his woodcutter guardian is viciously murdered and his home burned to the ground, Tog is running for his life. It's freezing, he's lost everything, there's a man with a knife on his tail, and all he has to survive are his wits, his fighting skills - taught to him by his woodcutter guardian but never before tested - the motley travelling companions he gathers on the way, and a garbled message - the woodcutter's last, gasped words - STONE, ORCHARD, MOON. Are they clues? The ravings of a fading mind? So begins a journey through a land ruled by robber barons, though they call themselves lords and kings - towards a destiny - or choice - at first dimly perceived, growing stronger and more terrifying as his journey nears its climax.