Set hundreds of thousands of years before the Malazan novels, the story explores the deep past of the world. The world is populated by different races, including the powerful but xenophobic Jaghut, the masters of magic and masonry known as the Azathanai, and the savage, shapeshifting Jhelek.

The focus is on the story of the long-lived Tiste Andii, servants of the monarch known as Mother Dark, who may be ascending to godhood. Her people are on the brink of civil war, the political and familial dynamics of their ruling class a complex web of arranged marriages, military rivalries, and exchanged hostages. The narrative follows dozens of characters acting in numerous interweaving subplots involving intrigue, battle, magic, an ancient threat from a dead sea, and the everyday travails of everyday people.