Penric i.e young lad was going to his home when he encounters an accident in which an old lady gets injured. The old lady was actually the servant of the five gods and before she dies, she gives all her powers to Penric. That single incident changes the life of this young lad forever because he finds out that there are many creatures and men that are after him.
Everyone wants his life in one way or the other. Surviving becomes terribly difficult and even though Penric had all the power in the world but still he has no allies because serving the god of destruction has its price. The story moves on in a stepwise manner and there is no pause which would disturb the flow of the story. There are a few characters that get introduced at the middle of the story but it is not something that will bother the listener.