Richard and Kahlan are finally married and are enjoying their wedding night back in the Spirit house in the Village of the Mud People.

Soon, sudden and unexplainable deaths begin to occur, and Richard comes to the conclusion that when Kahlan called forth "the chimes" in order to save him, they remained free, causing havoc.

Zedd sends Richard and Kahlan off to the Wizard's Keep in Aydindril to get a special bottle that contains a spell that will stop the threat.

While en route, Richard, Kahlan, and their Mord-Sith protector Cara are sidetracked into dealing with the people of Anderith, who have a powerful weapon of mass destruction called the Dominie Dirtch.

Continuing on from Temple of the Winds, the story begins after Richard and Kahlan's wedding in the village of the Mud People.

Anderith is being wooed by the Imperial Order in the person of Stein, who personifies the savage ruthlessness of Jagang's empire.

Stein offers double the going rate for any goods that merchants, all of the Ander race, will sell to the Imperial Order.

He uses his connections, along with his squad of messengers, to accomplish underhanded tasks to ensure that the Minister will ascend to the chair of Sovereign (a religious position similar to the real world pope) when the present one passes on.

They guard the Dominie Dirtch, a defensive line of giant bell-shaped structures, seemingly made from a solid piece of dark-veined stone, which kill anything in front of them when struck.

Because of this, he sends Cara to Aydindril to retrieve the Sword of Truth while he, Kahlan and Du Chaillu, about to deliver her child, head to Anderith to banish the chimes.

If the Imperial Order conquers Anderith, it will be a continuing imminent threat to the rest of the Midlands.

A combination of sheer dumb luck and the fact that the Chimes have deactivated the Wizards' Keep defenses and killed many of its guards allow Fitch and his accomplice to easily obtain the Sword.

Dalton pretends not to be disturbed by this betrayal and even seemingly "joins" the web of infidelity by sleeping with both Teresa and Chanboor's wife in turn, intentionally having contracted a lethal STD first.

Campbell finalizes his revenge by killing the Imperial Order emissary, Stein (who had "shared" Teresa with Chanboor), gaining possession of the Sword of Truth in turn.

Having studied the actions of Joseph Ander, the ancient founder of Anderith, Richard comes to realize that the chimes and the Dominie Dirtch are connected.

Richard finally comes to understand that by using art as a form of intent, he can alter the Grace and create a new pathway for magic.

As they leave, the Order begins to sack the city, and the screams of the women being forced into sexual slavery follow them into the night.