After a long and perilous journey to the Earth Navel, Belgrieve finally succeeds in locating the second of his missing comrades. The dangers of the road are a fresh reminder of Belgrieve's limitations, and he begins to doubt his ability to continue his quest. But with the support of his daughter and friends, he finally manages to reconcile with his old party member Percival.

Resolved to see things through to the end, they continue their journey to find the elf Satie, the last member of Belgrieve's old party. But Angeline faces her own test of character as she grapples with the knowledge that there's a side to her father that she never could have known, and Belgrieve is at a loss to address her heartache. Perhaps the time has come for their journey together to end, and for her to find her own path...

Their troubles are put on the backburner when they reach the imperial capital amidst rumors of an elf's revolt against the nation. Could Satie be involved?