Athas is a common fisherman, with dreams of a home full of children and a life lived off the bounty of the sea. Hard times fraught with storms and ill luck have stripped those dreams from him until the only thing left is desperate faith, driving him in a pilgrimage to the Temple of the Old Gods to plead for their favor. The Gods know Athas' most secret desires, however, and their whispered promises tease at his deepest longing: to nurture countless children born of his own body... if he will only offer himself to them, body and soul, and give himself up to their inhuman passions.