Rand al'Thor has proclaimed himself the Dragon Reborn, but rather than lead, he flees - driven by visions and the growing madness of the male half of the One Power toward the great fortress known as the Stone of Tear. There he intends to find the crystal sword Callandor, a weapon that prophecy says only the true Dragon can wield. Uniquely among the Wheel of Time novels, The Dragon Reborn tells much of its story through the perspectives of Mat, Perrin, Egwene, Elayne, and Nynaeve rather than Rand himself. Mat comes into his own as a roguish gambler with uncanny luck, Perrin confronts his connection to wolves, and the women of the story begin to emerge as political and magical forces in their own right.