Late one night when ten year old Zack hears strains of "You ain't nothin' but a hound dog" coming from the refrigerator, he discovers the possibility that Elvis lives on as a turnip.

East and west. Humans and spirits. Breccans and Tamerlaines. The Isle of Cadence has always held itself in a tenuous balance. But now Bane, the spirit of the North Wind, has pushed everything off-kilter in a bid to claim dominion over human and spirit alike. In the east, a sickness is spreading among the people of the Tamerlaine clan. As healer Sidra desperately searches for a cure, her husband, Torin, the clan's new leader, attempts to draw answers...

The mage Numair, the knight Alanna, and Queen Thayet enlist thirteen-year-old Daine's help to battle the dreadful immortal creatures that have renently begun to attack the kingdom of Tortall.