Peggy is a Torch, able to see the fire burning in each person's heart. From the moment of Alvin Maker's birth, when the Unmaker first strove to kill him, she has protected him.But Alvin's destiny has taken them on separate journeys. Alvin has gone north, where his powers are considered witchcraft, and their use is punished with death. Peggy has been drawn south, for she has seen a terrible future of war and destruction. One slender path exists that leads through the bloodshed, and it is Peggy's quest to set the world on the path to peace.