The lone survivor of a battle in space, Jarl Hawkins fights for survival as his dying spaceship drifts out of control. But there is nothing he can do and his own death is certain. But his rescue comes in the form of an old wizard named Kvasir, who offers Jarl his chance at a new life on Vanir, a planet with black-powder weapons, wild nomads who roam the Ghost Plains, wizards and witches who use magic, and a church seeking to be all powerful. Separated from Kvasir, Jarl fights in a battle he does not fully understand, patrols with the Kettlewand Rangers, witnesses the brutal murder of a Ghost Raider, and travels to Tyr, the capital city, to locate Kvasir or another wizard. Once there, he is imprisoned for as a sorcerer and his modern weapons are taken from him. He encounters a samurai-like warrior, who becomes a friend and protector while in prison. After a pardon from the King himself, Jarl returns to Tyr and forms a printing company, and then commences on a most dangerous endeavor, the printing of a translated Vanir bible. This infuriates the Church leaders, and is only with the King's protection that he and his printing company can survive. But Kvasir is still missing, and without the help of the old wizard, Jarl is powerless to make his way back into space.