Face with a terror unlike anything Richard had ever thought conceivable, he is without his dearest love, his wife Kahlan. No one remembers her, not even those who have been closest to her. Only Richard remembers...and the rest think he is going insane. He struggles to prove to them she does exist, but falls short too many times. Not only does he have to battle his friends, he must also confront a dangerous magic sent after him by Jagang: The Beast.

Many mysteries evolve and emotions are scathed to the brink. The strategy of the war boils into a frightful new dimension. Prophecy has begun its collapse, and one 'mantic root' must prevail or all life will plunge into a darkness from which it can never return.