Lost in his own thoughts, Rolan doesn't realize his peril until it is too late - he accidentally runs over the prized hen of Brome, the evil witch who lives in a house of bones. Because Rolan will not do what she requests in recompense (she wants him to enter her house, but Rolan refuses based on the stories he's heard), she tells him he's about to have a "very bad day."

That is the start of Rolan's adventures. He finds himself trapped in a magical web that not only encircles the woman his father expects him to marry, but also a couple of wizards who are themselves caught up in a conflict with some nameless beast. His world consumed by the mysterious "firebird" who entices him with a siren's song, Rolan and his intended bride must delve into the mysteries of the forest - and the human heart - in order to survive. As usual with McKillip, the prose is economical but at the same time quite lyrical. The characters' dialogue is sparse but yet manages to reveal and conceal at the same time. She manages to make virtually everything a mystery of some sort, as if in some sort of post-modern pursuit of the elusive notion of "truth." It makes for a fun - and relatively quick - read.