Alvin has returned to the town of his birth and is now the blacksmith's apprentice. But he must also learn the difficult arts of a Maker and he hopes that the magic of the seer, Peggy, can help him. However, Peggy can only anticipate a future filled with misery . . . and Alvin is forced to hide the powers stirring inside him while the evil forces of the Unmaker are unleashed on those he loves . . .