Doro has been alive for almost 4,000 years. He has great power and influence and yet he is alone. He has watched generation after generation of his children die. But he still dreams of breeding a new race of immortal telepaths in his own image. When he encounters Anyanwu, the shape-changer and healer, he knows that he has met his true mate. Although only 300 years old, he is Doro's equal, perhaps the only other one of their kind on Earth. But she has sprung from wild seed, beyond his control, and she is Doro's implacable enemy.