Magnus Malachi, a magician, is guarding his latest moneyspinner - Tersias, a blind boy who can see into the future.

But as Tersias's powers become known, others who seek to use them are drawn from the shadows: Jonah, a teenage highwayman, and his companion in crime Tara; Solomon, a crazed zealot who has bred a new species of giant flesh-eating locusts; and Lord Malpas, a keeper of mysterious powers.They all want Tersias - but is he a force for good or evil? And can he ever rid himself of the dark spirit that torments his soul?