Young Paulter adores the Grand Court Wizard, Galdar and in secrecy serves as his apprentice. When Galdar is poisoned, the stage is set for a race against time in which Paulter must be ordained by the source of magic "the Heart". This is an imperative and time-honored procedure that will allow him to become the next Grand Court Wizard. Evil Ronar pulls out all the stops in an effort to stop Paulter from reaching his lofty goal.

Ronar feels that the timing is perfect to make his attempt at overtaking their world while Galdar is no longer there to protect them. He creates a massive army that threatens the very existence of the Faerie world and will eventually annihilate all the other races one at a time. With the help of some unlikely friends, Paulter struggles to reach the Heart and put an end to the senseless carnage that Ronar is willing to inflict on anyone standing in his way.

However, there are still other issues that Paulter must deal with, including the search to find the murderer of his friend and mentor, Galdar. This is a story of the struggle between good and evil, but also, the emergence of a man who is destined to play a powerful role in the care of the races that comprise his world. The friends who help him, all have different roles to play and both collectively and individually help Paulter to realize how important friends can be.