Yennefer plans to enroll Ciri at the Aretuza school of magic on Thanedd Island, while attending a conference of mages there.

While viewing an exotic menagerie, Ciri inadvertently provokes a disturbance, and escapes using a magic amulet Yennefer gave her in case of emergency.

This draws the attention of the mages Tissaia de Vries and Margarita Laux-Antille, the former and current headmistresses of Aretuza, out hunting for truant students.

Ciri, unwilling to be "imprisoned" at school, steals a horse and rides to a nearby town where she heard Geralt is staying.

To allow Vilgefortz and the captured mages to defend themselves, Tissaia releases them, and drops the field that inhibits the use of magic inside Aretuza.

This proves disastrous when they attack Phillipa and the other Northern mages, while a Scoia'tael commando working with Nilfgaard invades the compound.

Soon after the events at Thanedd Island, Dandelion finds Geralt recuperating in the forest of Brokilon, under the care of the dryads, and fills him in on recent events: Aedirn, Rivia, and Lyria fell quickly to the Nilfgaardian invaders, while King Foltest of Temeria made a pact with Emhyr and preserved his kingdom; the elven mage Francesca Findabair was made the client queen of Dol Blathanna, on the condition that she allow the Scoia'tael to remain under Emhyr's control.

The story hints that Ciri, the last descendant of a Cintran royal line that carries elven blood, is the prophesied child who will destroy the old world and usher in a new age.

The English (UK) translation was delayed several times; initially planned for 2009[citation needed], it was published by Gollancz in June 2013.