As F'lorna tries to readjust to life as a River-dweller, she feels the battle of two Eternal Memories (River-dweller and Lake-keeper) raging inside of her, filling her with shame and confusion. She struggles with depression and the fear of sleep, trying to stay busy teaching River-dwellers and Marsh-landers the Adoration of swordcraft. The Marsh-landers begin to thrive in their new home, and they adopt the previously unknown material of steel that F'lorna introduces. Raecli finally accepts her life as a Sand-shaper, and delicate embers of tenderness between her and the landowner's son emerge. Finally, Chieftain Lothar's galleys are launched onto the waters to claim the rightful heiress to his lands. Can F'lorna's family and friends help her overcome trauma to embrace a unique life that could possibly bind multiple lands of the unfolding world of Rodesh?