Harald Stonearm, usurper of the throne in the Province of Swallows, loves nothing more than a good story. So, in the seventh year of his reign, he sets aside the summer for a storytelling contest. Competitors come from all over the kingdom to take a seat in Gravenwall Castle's amphitheater. Harald's patience is short, however, and he dismisses one storyteller after another. All that changes with the arrival of a mysterious foreigner, a young traveler dressed as a holy man who carries the weapons of a soldier. A man with many names, now called Dogman, because of the huge Bear Dog at his side. As the foreigner's tale unfolds, the crowd of listeners steadily grows, carried along by a story of recklessness, great voyages, strange encounters and magic, unaware that it all leads to two startling conclusions. There is much more to the tale than the foreigner is telling.