When an ancient evil threatens to devastate Rin, overcoming its people with a fatal sleeping sickness, young Rowan, with help from a tribe called the Travelers, must decipher a rhyming riddle in order to save the land and its inhabitants.
After a flying lizard carries off his little sister, Rowan of Rin and three companions are guided by a rhyming riddle on a journey to the land of their old enemy, the Zebak, in order to rescue her.
Because only he can read the magical map, young, weak, and timid Rowan joins six other villagers to climb a mountain and try to restore their water supply, as fears of a dragon and other horrors threaten to drive them back.
Destiny leads Rowan of Rin to make choices which could save a powerful crystal, thereby ensuring the safety of his people and his people's shore-dwelling allies.