In the Fortress of the Light, Pedron Niall receives reports of chaos spreading across the nations and schemes to use the disorder to extend Whitecloak influence, convinced the Dragon Reborn is a false claimant manipulated by the White Tower. Elaida, newly raised Amyrlin after deposing Siuan Sanche, consolidates her grip on the Tower while dispatching embassies to bring Rand al'Thor to heel. Elsewhere, one of the Forsaken moves in the shadows, and Padan Fain - now calling himself Ordeith - plots his own vengeance against Rand from the depths of the White Tower.
Rand holds court among the Aiel in Rhuidean, now transformed from a ruined city into the seat of his growing power in the Waste. He struggles to manage the fractious clan chiefs while Aviendha watches him with undisguised hostility, assigned by the Wise Ones to teach him Aiel customs despite her obvious reluctance. Moiraine advises caution and patience, but Rand chafes at the delays, knowing that Couladin and the Shaido have already declared him a false Car'a'carn.
Rand receives word that Couladin has led the Shaido westward through the Jangai Pass toward Cairhien, burning and pillaging as they go. He announces his intention to pursue, hoping to unite the remaining clans behind him by crossing the Spine of the World and confronting the Shaido before they can destroy Cairhien entirely. The Wise Ones press Aviendha closer to Rand, and Moiraine studies him with the quiet intensity of a woman who knows her time is running short.
Egwene walks in Tel'aran'rhiod under the tutelage of the Wise One dreamwalkers, learning to navigate the World of Dreams with a discipline far stricter than anything the White Tower ever taught her. She discovers that Elaida has seized the Amyrlin Seat and that the Tower is split, with rebel Aes Sedai gathering somewhere in secret. The Wise Ones warn her that the dream world can kill the careless, and Egwene begins to sense just how much the Tower women never understood about this ancient power.
Rand leads the Aiel clans through the Jangai Pass and out of the Waste, entering the green and war-ravaged lands of Cairhien for the first time. The march is gruelling and tense, with Rand constantly on guard against Darkfriend attacks and the machinations of the Forsaken. Aviendha remains at his side by the Wise Ones' command, and the two share an uneasy closeness that neither of them fully understands.
Morgase, Queen of Andor, finds herself increasingly isolated in Caemlyn as Rahvin - wearing the mask of Lord Gaebril - tightens his hold on the throne through Compulsion. She begins to suspect that something is deeply wrong with her own feelings and decisions, yet finds she cannot bring herself to dismiss the man who has become her lover and chief adviser. When she finally gathers the will to confront him, Rahvin's power over her reasserts itself, and she realises she must flee or be lost entirely.
Nynaeve and Elayne travel with Thom and a menagerie led by Valan Luca, working their way slowly toward Ghealdan while searching for the rebel Aes Sedai. Nynaeve chafes at the glacial pace and the indignity of performing as part of a travelling show, but the disguise keeps them hidden from the Whitecloaks and other enemies. Elayne finds moments of unexpected pleasure in the journey, though the two women clash constantly over matters of pride and authority.
Siuan Sanche, stilled and deposed, travels in disguise with Leane and Min, heading north to find the rebel Aes Sedai she believes are gathering in Salidar. Stripped of the One Power and the authority she wielded for years, Siuan must rely on her wits and Min's loyalty to survive. The journey tests her pride and her patience in equal measure, but her determination to see Elaida brought down burns as fiercely as ever.
Rand drives the Aiel westward at a punishing pace, haunted by the knowledge that every day of delay costs Cairhienin lives as the Shaido continue their rampage. He channels frequently and openly now, and the strain of wielding saidin - the madness that may come with it - weighs on him even as his power grows. Moiraine continues to counsel and observe, speaking to him with a new gentleness that unsettles Rand more than her old manipulations ever did.
Nynaeve encounters Moghedien in Tel'aran'rhiod and the two clash in a contest of wills, each trying to overwhelm the other with the One Power in the treacherous dreamscape. Nynaeve manages to hold her own against the Forsaken through sheer stubbornness and rage, discovering that her block against channelling dissolves completely when she is angry enough to forget her fear. Moghedien retreats, but the encounter leaves Nynaeve shaken by the knowledge that one of the most dangerous women alive now has reason to hunt her.
Rand encounters a party of Cairhienin refugees and begins to understand the full scale of the devastation Couladin's Shaido have wrought. He takes in the ragged survivors and promises them safety, adding to the burden of responsibility already threatening to crush him. Aviendha watches these exchanges with grudging respect, and the distance between them narrows imperceptibly.
Mat tries to distance himself from Rand and the Aiel, determined to slip away before the coming battle, but ta'veren luck keeps pulling him back. He gambles with Aiel warriors, wins consistently, and discovers that his memories from the doorway ter'angreal in Rhuidean include detailed recollections of ancient battles and military tactics. Despite his best efforts to remain uninvolved, he finds himself offering advice on the march that even the clan chiefs acknowledge as sound.
Elayne and Nynaeve continue with Luca's menagerie, and Nynaeve discovers that Birgitte, the legendary hero of the Horn, exists in Tel'aran'rhiod between her incarnations. The two women form an unlikely friendship in the World of Dreams, with Birgitte offering guidance about the dreamscape and warnings about Moghedien. Elayne works on her understanding of ter'angreal, studying the objects they carry with a scholar's curiosity and a channeller's instinct.
Egwene deepens her training with the Wise Ones and walks in Tel'aran'rhiod more boldly, discovering the shattered remains of the White Tower reflected in the dream world. She spies on the Hall of the Tower and learns more about the split between Elaida's loyalists and the rebels, knowledge that the Wise Ones warn her she must be careful how she uses. Egwene's growing skill in the dream world begins to exceed what her teachers expect of an apprentice.
Rand and Aviendha are caught in a fierce snowstorm while travelling apart from the main column, and in desperation Rand creates a gateway - a weave he has never attempted before - that deposits them in Seanchan lands far across the Aryth Ocean. Stranded in a frozen wilderness, they shelter together and the tension between them finally breaks, their feelings for one another laid bare in the bitter cold. They return through another gateway with their relationship irrevocably changed, though Aviendha insists nothing of significance has occurred.
Siuan, Leane and Min arrive in Lugard and navigate the city's dangerous streets, seeking word of the rebel Aes Sedai while dodging thieves and Whitecloak patrols. Siuan's imperious manner, unchanged by her stilling, draws unwanted attention and nearly gets them arrested. Min's steady practicality keeps the group alive and moving, and they pick up a trail leading toward Salidar.
Gareth Bryne, retired Captain-General of the Queen's Guard, pursues Siuan and her companions after they broke an oath to work on his estate, driven by honour and an inexplicable compulsion to follow them. His pursuit leads him toward Salidar and the gathering of rebel Aes Sedai, a path that will reshape his retirement in ways he cannot foresee. The chapter juxtaposes Bryne's methodical tracking with the mounting chaos of the wider world.
The Aiel reach the outskirts of Cairhien and Rand surveys the burning city from a distance, the smoke of Couladin's siege visible for miles. He begins planning the battle to relieve the city, weighing the strength of his own forces against the Shaido while knowing that other dangers - Forsaken, Darkfriends, rival claimants - could strike at any moment. Moiraine gives him a letter and asks him to promise he will read it when she is gone, a request that fills him with unease.
Nynaeve and Elayne reach Samara, where the Prophet Masema's followers have created a volatile and dangerous encampment of fanatical Dragonsworn. The city teeters on the edge of violence, with Whitecloaks, Dragonsworn and desperate refugees all packed together in an explosive mixture. Nynaeve seeks passage on a river ship to continue their journey, but Galad appears unexpectedly, offering to help them in a way that may ignite the very war they are trying to avoid.
Galad secures a ship for Nynaeve and Elayne by dealing with the Prophet, but his rigid sense of honour blinds him to the catastrophic consequences. Masema's followers and the Whitecloaks are now on a collision course, and the women realise they must flee Samara before the city erupts. Thom and Juilin work frantically to prepare their escape, knowing that thousands of lives hang on the next few hours.