"The sound of his voice made him wish he had not spoken at all; it seemed so small. It couldn't possibly be heard, or if heard, would never be heeded. "I serve You, " he said softly, and dropped his offering into the pit." Grandfather, expelled from his native land as a young man and facing death from exposure, is rescued by beings of the sky and transported to a world of strange beasts, powerful women, violent men, and telepathic 'demons'. He meets Grenoth, a hoarder of secrets, Ilakein, a master of ancient wisdom who advises him to 'learn a way', and attempts to open his mind to forgotten realms, and sweet Lyta, a visionary and dreamer. Although he is absorbed into this new society, Grandfather is haunted by a desire to return home, so he learns divination, practices dreaming, and scours the landscape for a route back to the valley of his birth, until at last he learns the value of all things unseen, learns to let go of desire, and remembers who he is.