Conn is a thief and a pickpocket and a lockpick. One dark night, as he lurks in a bitterly old alleyway, he spots a likely target and sneakily reaches into the old man's pocket. What he finds is odd, and it should have killed him, ... but it didn't. So the old man, Nevery Flinglas, Wizard, takes him on as an apprentice. It's dark times in Wellmet. The level of magic seems to be getting extremely low. Though banished for the past 20 years, Nevery has now been brought back to discover what is happening. Conn, a boy of great self-reliance and a quick mind, though little education, finds himself capable of amazing things and destined for more than he ever imagined. The character of Conn resonates with a refreshing genuineness.