Given by her parents to the fanatical Priests of the Old Gods, so they can sacrifice her to awaken the reptilian Old Gods, a young girl named Shan Lyera must learn to survive in a world gone mad.She can only succeed with the help of her Ando, whose father breeds giant ravens to the royal family; Higga, a frog-like spawn of the Old Gods whom Shan helped escape from the Slumbering World via her dreams and vomit; Kem, also known as Prince Kemmon, seventh in line for the throne; Anada, or Princess Anada, Kem's older sister; and the misshapen men Mies, Olly, and Cook, who dwell in the land of the insane Goddess of Light, Vondura, who turned their wives, daughters, mothers, and sisters into silver glass statues, making the men her playthings, each a uniquely deformed freak unable to die, for a thousand summers.In order to survive, and with the help of her closest companions, Shan must discover her ability to lead an army into war.