A father recounts the events that led to brutal combat in the Second Dragon War, a chain of happenings that began with his entry into the Tournament of Swords as a teen, as a member of a team led by his uncle Haelin. Through fires of hardship--time as a sword student, a bandit, a prisoner, a soldier, and a leader of men in combat--Therin learns the most important lessons were those his uncle sacrificed so much to teach him.