Abigail is a person with a secret, and this is that she is of Aouli royalty, and-as such-will be forced to marry a man she cannot tolerate, the thin, deformed Prince Ovee'or, who is a member of the Wettong dynasty, the family who has occupied the Kingdom of Pentara through deception and evil magic. And to insure her compliance, she cannot flee the castle and escape this nightmare, because she must take the evil drug Liceen, a concoction that the Wettong manufacture to keep each Aoili woman under their absolute control. And now, the Wettong have discovered that Abigail has been sneaking out of the castle and has covertly become a D'lurian, or Cloud Dancer, one of the few individuals who fly the small, one-person sky ships around the Kingdom of Pentara, delivering messages and small packages. This is not to be allowed, and Gythiwen-the Prince's sister and an evil sorceress-has placed a spell on Abigail that has turned her from a young, 17-year-old woman into an old, 70-year-old woman. And worse, Gythiwen has placed a second spell on Abigail, so she can no one of her dire situation.