On the shores of the Aegean Sea, in the long-forgotten times of King Minos, stands Crete in all its glory. The people living there are at the edges of a land that is growing more violent. Until now. When Stern, the youngest son of Sear returns to the palace in Knossos, after a long absence, he discovers the peace he remembers has been converted to distrust. The sense of danger is all around: pirates threaten the sea-trade routes, intrigue and betrayal lurk in the labyrinthine shadows of the palace, and a prophecy foretells the end of the Minotaurean dynasty. Fate is inescapable, and Stern must choose between Knossos and following his brother Partholón in the search for a new home. And meanwhile, the far wind blows whispers that call from a sleeping land that awaits them: Lerna.