The Dustlands, an arid sweep of waste pocked with fantastic sandstone formations. Under its sunless sky travels Hiram, a teenage boy seeking Nolin, the famous wizard. Nolin is always pushing boundaries. Whether it is in the confines of a slave mine or the magic halls of the Dark Passages, he seeks what others fear to find. Haunted by his past, exiled to the Dustlands, he has become a harsh young man of great power. He refuses to teach Hiram his secrets, frightened that the past will repeat itself in another generation. But Nolin can see the spark of Erilaz burning in Hiram. The only way to dissuade the boy might be to tell him everything.