On his sixteenth birthday, Thorn Jack steals a curious crystal from the Treasury of a neighbouring settlement in his 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 wordly-wise individual.

Their way leads through Judy Wood, a place of mystery and ill-repute.

When fifteen-years-old Jewel Ranson's father, a travelling draper, is murdered at a fair, she sets out to avenge him.

Accompanied by Rainy Gill, a juggler, she journeys to Harrypark where she becomes involved in a bloodthirsty wager.

As she travels, Jewel discovers that she has been gifted with unusual powers.

After many colourful adventures and encounters, their separate quests lead Thorn and Jewel to a momentous meeting - and the discovery of a common enemy...