Return to the turbulent background of what would end up being the Malazan Empire… After the disappointments in Li Heng, Dancer and Kellanved clean up on a little insignificant island called Malaz. Immediately, obviously, Kellanved plans to consider it over.

To do so they get together with a little band of Napans who’ve fled their home. However, Kellanved is usually soon distracted by a unusual and dangerous historic structure. Back Li Heng, Dassem, today the proclaimed Sword of Hood, finds himself being blamed to get a plague that leads him to a crisis of faith-and looking for answers.

During all of this, the neighboring isle of Nap threatens battle and allies are starting to wonder about Kellanved’s sanity. Dancer now faces a difficult choice: should he give up his partnership? Particularly when his friend’s obsession with shadows and ancient artifacts brings the both of them alarmingly close to death and damage.

In the end, who in his right brain would actually desire to enter the Deadhouse?