In alternate chapters, eighteen-year-old Sir Michael Sevenson, an anachronistic knight errant, and seventeen-year-old Fisk, his street-wise squire, tell of their journey to Ruesport, Fisk's home town, to investigate blackmail and a series of suspicious fires.

In alternate chapters, eighteen-year-old Sir Michael Sevenson, an anachronistic knight errant, and seventeen-year-old Fisk, his street-wise squire, tell of their noble quest to bring Lady Ceciel to justice while trying to solve her husband's murder.

Fifteen-year-old Jeriah asks the mischievous goblins for help with opening the gate to the Otherworld, where his brother, Tobin, is being held, and becomes caught in a web of political intrigue.