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The once mighty kingdom of Jorsk is in decline, its borders beset by enemies, both worldly and otherworldly. The king has retreated to the capital, abandoning the far-flung provinces. The only hope of the people lies in their Chosen One, blessed by the gods as defender of the realm. But of late every Chosen One has died, targeted by the harshest of the enemy attacks.

Only the most desperate of men now seek that post. Devlin Stonehand is a desperate man. Overwhelmed by grief at the death of his family, he has lost the will to live. But he has vowed to provide for his brother's widow and children, and the post of the Chosen One carries with it a substantial reward.

For Devlin, a farmer and metalsmith, it is the answer to his prayers—prayers that include a yearning for the oblivion of death. After he has won the post, though, Devlin discovers that sometimes the hardest goal to achieve is that which had once seemed the simplest. For unlike the other Chosen Ones, he persists in surviving. Are the gods just tormenting him further, or does he have a greater destiny than he imagined? Can a man who courts death ever truly come to embrace life?

Devlin of Duncaer is the Chosen One, champion of the Kingdom of Jorsk. A simple metalsmith and farmer turned warrior, he has become the most unlikely of heroes to the conquerors of his own people, the Caerfolk. Yet there is a growing faction of Jorskians who believe that if he were truly anointed as Chosen One by the Gods, then the immortals would have given him the Sword of Light as proof of his calling.

Missing for generations, the sword is more myth than reality. But Devlin knows where to find it. Lost in battle after the Jorskians' brutal massacre of Caerfolk, it has remained in Duncaer, a souvenir of one of the land's darkest days.

Feeling more than ever a pawn of fate—and a plaything of the Gods who drive him—Devlin must return to the land of his birth, back to the people who have denounced him. For he is bound by an oath he has no choice but to obey...a promise he may have to die to keep.

Devlin of Duncaer has done the impossible. Desperate for death in the wake of his family's slaughter, he agreed to become the Chosen One of the neighboring Kingdom of Jorsk—the kingdom which conquered and enslaved his own native land of Duncaer. The job involved magically binding himself to Jorsk and its needs by a powerfu Geas spell, and used to come with about a three months survival time—until Devlin. Miraculously surviving attack after attack, he comes to learn once again the value of life, honor and friendship.

But just when he is reconciled to his new life, he finds he must go off seeking the Chosen One's sword of legend—which he knows for a fact was lost in conquered Duncaer. So now Devlin—once exiled from his homeland and hoping never to go back—must again face the land of his birth and the people who once trusted him. Only now he comes to them wearing the garb of their conquerors.

But when Devlin returns from that mission, it is only to discover that things in Jorsk have been getting worse in his absence. The unknown enemy's magical attacks on the kingdom are getting worse, and the king's policy of non-involvement is throwing his kingdom into chaos. As more and more borders are threatened, the nobles can do nothing but squabble and debate. It seems that Devlin is the only one who can stem the tide. But can he discover the enemy's true identity and put a stop to his or her predations before the entire kindgom collapses, taking its Chosen One down with it?