It's not been a good morning for Thraxas. A vindictive judge has just fined him every guran he has, and two old enemies have threatened his life. And to cap it all, the rainy season has started and it's as wet as a mermaid's blanket in the magical city of Turai. He desperately needs a winner in the big chariot race. And he needs a job. But not even Thraxas with his sorcerous investigating skills could have predicted that his two requirements might just be connected in a strange and potentially disastrous way.