When 15-year-old Jewel Ranson's father, a traveling trader, is murdered at a fair, she sets out to avenge him. Accompanied by Rainy Gill, a juggler, she discovers that a strange power is awakening in her and, in a notorious gambling den, becomes involved in a grisly wager. On his 16th birthday, Thorn Jack steals a curious crystal from a neighboring settlement in this coming of age rite-of-passage. Returning home, he finds that his younger sister has been kidnapped. He sets out to find her with Racky Jagger, an enigmatic but worldwise individual. After many colorful adventures and encounters, their separate quests lead Thorn and Jewel to a momentous meeting—and the discovery of a common enemy.