Zedd's brother Thaddicus discovers that their father's killer, who was assumed to have perished at the hand of Darken Rahl, is still alive. Upon learning the grim news, Zedd leaves Richard, Kahlan and Cara, reuniting with Thaddicus on a secret quest to avenge their father's murder. While the siblings attempt to find the person both they and Rahl want dead, the Seeker's hunt for the Stone of Tears leads him to befriend a stranger who claims he's uncovered secrets crucial to Richard's quest. But the real mystery surrounding this man sends Richard and Zedd on a collision course with the past - and each other.

Newly resurrected Darken Rahl plans to stay alive by using the secrets of an ancient scroll to defy the Keeper, forcing Richard into an uneasy alliance with Rahl to find the Stone of Tears and defeat the Keeper once and for all. Elsewhere, Kahlan and Cara fight to save the last of a species all but wiped out by Rahl's scheme, while the Keeper dispatches the deadly Sisters of the Dark to return Rahl to the Underworld.