Shell has heard the night whispers of a dragon calling to him for a year before he leaves his home in the grasslands. His goals are to help with the war effort, and to find a wife, perhaps even Camilla. On his journey, he meets another traveler and their plans change. The arrival of a red dragon changes them even more, but Shell must do what is right. At Fleming, he finds he missed the ship sailing to Breslau with the other Dragon Clan aboard—but that cannot stop him. He devises a new plan and plunges ahead.