While on a fishing trip to upstate New York Clay Devon is sucked beneath the water by some mysterious force. Fighting his way to the surface he finds his camp, boat, and everything familiar are gone. Even the placid, blue lake has been transformed into a murky, stagnant swamp. Making his way along the shore he encounters a gang of hijackers, their carts laden with a crystal vital to all life in this world. Talya, an investigator working for the mine that is the single source of the crystal, rescues him. Realizing he can never return to his own, familiar surrounding, he joins Talya in a plan to recover the stolen crystals. Their search begins in Farside, a den of thieves on the edge of a huge desert. From there the trail leads to Darkveil, where the evil Queen Adria, who has usurped the power of the rightful rulers, banishes Clay and Talya to a labyrinth beneath the city. After encountering numerous perils they meet Prince Brian, last surviving member of the rightful rulers of Darkveil. Together, the three, along with the help of the Hawkmen, who inhabit the lofty crags surrounding Darkveil, battle the forces of Queen Adria to take back control of the city and smash the hijacking ring.