Welcome to Archers Beach in the Changing Land, the last and least of the Six Worlds, where magic works, sometimes, and the Guardian husbands the vitality of the land and everyone on it -- earth spirit and plain human alike. Kate Archer, Guardian and carousel-keeper, has been busy making some changes of her own, notably beginning a romantic relationship with Borgan, the Guardian of the Gulf of Maine, Kate's opposite number, and, some would say, her natural mate. And she's been instrumental in releasing the prisoners that had been bound into the carousel animals -- which she's inclined to think is a good thing. Until a former sea goddess sets up housekeeping in the Gulf of Maine, challenging Borgan's authority and endangering Kate and everything she holds precious.