Tannigal is in flames, destroyed by the frenzy-inducing songs of the inhuman bard Tamrel. Kelrob, a young magician of great promise but limited experience, flees the city's ruin alongside his companions: Jacobson, a weary mercenary whose body has become Tamrel's vessel, and Nuir, the sheltered but willful daughter of a great merchant-lord. Their destination is the house of Madame Heretia, a disgraced archmage of unknown powers and dubious allegiance. As the lines between reality and illusion begin to blur, Kelrob finds himself lost in a web of conflicting temptations, and must choose where his ultimate loyalty lies. But he must choose quickly, for the Mask of Tamrel yearns to continue its apocalyptic song...