In the prologue, a human Patryn named Haplo, is instructed to travel through the 'Death Gate' to Pryan, a mysterious "Realm of Fire", a planet that is incredibly large.

On steamy Pryan, never-ending sunlight and plentiful rain have created a planetary jungle so deep and vast that humans and elves dwell high in the trees and only dwarves live anywhere near the ground.

From the treetops the aristocratic elves sell weapons to the other races, whose incessant warfare sends a steady stream of profits and essential resources skyward.

After an alarming encounter with Zifnab's dragon, Paithan prepares to travel to human lands to complete a normal - but less than legal - arms deal.

Troubling rumors swirl of a far off kingdom being attacked by mythical creatures, but as Paithan prepares to leave he brushes the absurd concerns aside, dismissing them as propaganda.

Just prior to leaving, an alarming prediction is made by a suddenly bright-eyed and lucid Zifnab, that Paithan will bring doom, death and destruction back with him upon his return.

The mythical creatures are finally understood to be very real and horrifying, moving in absolute silence through the jungle despite their massive size and complete lack of eyes.

As Paithan, Roland and Rega come to terms with their impending deaths at the hands of their captors, Drugar, the same dwarf who was to receive the shipment of elven weapons, rescues them.

He retraces his confusing journey and with important contextual clues from the Quindiniars, realizes that he has passed through a Death Gate into the centre of a massive shell world or Dyson Sphere, a fact that he does not share with his hosts.

Paithan, Roland, Rega and Drugar manage to stay a step ahead of the tytans as they flee through the forests, and at last come upon the same human city that they had originally set out from.