An example of a narrative within a narrative, the frame story begins in Egypt when the "sphinx was young," with an (unnamed) lamia sitting upon a ridge near the Nile River, who, due to her infamy, has been unable to procure a lover for a fortnight.
In his youth, Charnadis was accustomed to use his wings to travel through space and explore remote and distant places.
One day, traveling through a particularly remote and distant galaxy, Charnadis encounters a grey, desert planet orbiting a dying sun: the world of Sadastor.
After recounting her memories of Sadastor in its earlier days, when the seas were nearly boundless and she could easily prey upon sailors, Charnadis offers her transport to another world.
Sobbing, Lyspial explains that she, being born of the seas of Sadastor, is bound to them and must perish with them.