Rand leads the Aiel out of the Waste and into the Westlands, pursuing the renegade Aiel clan chief Couladin while navigating the politics of nations that fear his power as much as they need it. Mat, still trying to avoid his destiny, inadvertently becomes a brilliant military commander. Nynaeve confronts one of the Forsaken in Tel'aran'rhiod. And the rebel Aes Sedai who have broken from the White Tower begin to consolidate their power. The Fires of Heaven marks the point where the series fully commits to its political and military scope, with battles, betrayals, and power struggles that set the pattern for the volumes to come.