This story follows Amergin, druid and chief bard of the Galicians, a group of Celts living in Iberia during the fourth century BC. After years of decline, the Galicians hope that the unexpected arrival of Phoenician traders, led by Age-Nor, will help restore their prosperity. Unfortunately, neither side has anything worth trading. At a reception in the Heroes' Hall, Age-Nor is attacked by Amergin's brothers, and the druid uses his bardic talent to entrance his murderous sibling, thus saving Age-Nor. Age-Nor rewards Amergin, despite the bard's vehement protests, by giving him a servant, a shipwright named Sakkar, and regaling him with a tale of a fabled land to the north, Ierne. After a series of mishaps and bad decisions, the tribe builds a series of ships with the help of Sakkar, and sets sail. But when they arrive on Ierne, they are confronted by a mysterious people who will one day fuel legend and myth: the Tuatha De Danann, People of the Goddess Danu.