Osmund is a young novice monk who is torn between his love for Averill and serving God. After praying for guidance, the Bishop's envoy arrives at the monastery seeking a guide to Dentwich Forest where a necromancer is rumoured to live. Osmund takes this as a sign that God wants him to leave the monastery and be reunited with Averill. The events of the next few days test his resolve and create a very different man.