Velichestvennyy Elantris, gorod bogov, sredotochie magii, mudrosti i neskazannoy krasoty, byl podoben serebryanomu kostru, goryashchemu v vechnosti. Stat' elantriycem i upodobit'sya bogam mog lyuboy chelovek, kotorogo kasalsya shaod - tainstvennoe preobrazhenie, nadelyayushchee izbrannyh volshebnoy siloy.
Vechnost' zakonchilas' desyat' let nazad. Prekrasnyy gorod pal, a blagoslovenie shaoda obernulos' proklyatiem. Novaya stolica Arelona, malen'kiy Kai, zhivet v teni chernyh sten Elantrisa, starayas' ne zamechat' goroda, stavshego rezervaciey dlya tekh neschastnyh, kogo po-prezhnemu zabiraet shaod. No ocherednoy zhertvoy okazyvaetsya Raoden, naslednyy princ Arelonä