When a sorcerer's apprentice locks a powerful spirit in a tree, the nomadic tribes of the arctic face a bleak future. Supplies of game and fish dwindle, and young men desert their families on a quest of illusory dreams. Included in the expedition to deal with the vengeful tree spirit are young Dorno and the woman he rescued, Sheena. He is seeking high adventure; she is in search of her foster parents. Neither of them is aware of the far more terrible foe that lurks in the shade of the tree. This first volume of a trilogy weaves together elements of science fiction and fantasy to produce an exploration of human needs and values.