From her home in the distant north, Pelia, daughter of Talakhonsu, tells the story of the world her father knew, a world dominated by the Persian Empire, where the past glories of ancient Egypt are already fading into history. Talakhonsu, then a young boy destined for the priesthood of Amun of Kush, is taken captive in an Egyptian raid that fills the night with terror. Together with other prisoners he endures a torturous journey along the Great River (the Nile) into the lands of his people's age old enemies, leaving behind forever the life he once knew. Yet Egypt herself is now subject to the rule of the Persian Empire and its Satraps. While the Egyptian nobles plot to free themselves from the yoke of King Xerxes, Talakhonsu finds his life in peril once more as his master, Khaemwaset the evil one, seeks glory through the blood of the innocent. For readers who appreciate David Gemmell, Wilbur Smith and Bernard Cornwell. The Chronicles of Talakhonsu continue in Book 2 - 'Beyond the Pyrene'.