Rysn, a Thaylen trademaster who uses a wheeled chair, searches for a new trade mission for her ship, the Wandersail. She is preoccupied with her pet, a sick creature called a larkin named Chiri-Chiri, whose carapace has turned a chalky white. Rysn’s new porter, a man with white tattoos named Nikli, is overeager to assist her, which frustrates her attempts at independence. Rysn also corresponds via spanreed—a magical long-distance communication device—with other women who have lost the use of their legs, exchanging practical advice and learning about designs for assistive tools.

Her work is interrupted by the unexpected arrival of Talik, a man from the Reshi Isles. He explains that Chiri-Chiri is unusually large for a larkin and can only be helped by being taken to her home: Akinah, the lost city on the island of Aimia. Rysn realizes she recently read about Akinah in bulletin about the discovery of the ghost ship First Dreams, which was returning from a voyage to Akinah. The bulletin also mentions that Queen Navani Kholin is seeking a ship to investigate a mysterious storm near the lost city. Seeing a way to save her pet, Rysn decides to travel to the tower-city of Urithiru to answer the queen’s request.

Rysn travels to the city of Urithiru and meets with Queen Navani Kholin. Navani explains that the ghost ship First Dreams had a rogue Soulcaster—a person who can use a magical device to transform matter—aboard. Navani needs a ship to investigate Akinah because Windrunner Knights Radiant who have flown near the island have found their powers drained by an unknown force. During the meeting, Rysn’s pet, Chiri-Chiri, flies and drains the magical Stormlight from a lamp, revealing that she is one of the creatures capable of feeding on Stormlight.

Navani offers generous payment for Rysn’s ship, the Wandersail, to transport a scribe to survey the island. Because the voyage may also save Chiri-Chiri, Rysn accepts but negotiates for additional support: a personal request from Queen Fen encouraging her crew to undertake the mission, which would also strengthen Rysn’s authority aboard the ship. Rysn also asks whether Navani is developing platforms that can soar in the air, then looks toward her wheeled chair, letting Navani infer the implication. Navani agrees to send a scribe who is also a fabrial expert to run experiments and show Rysn what is possible. With the terms settled, Rysn formally accepts the mission.

The Lopen, a Herdazian Knight Windrunner, arrives late to meet a Reshi delegation at Urithiru after his spren locates them already inside the tower. He grabs their envoy, Talik, and flies him upward along the atrium’s great window. As they talk, the Lopen reassures Talik that the Alethi genuinely want the Reshi Isles as allies despite their political motivations, prompting Talik to reveal that his king sees a spren that burns through objects in treelike patterns and can make the air catch flame. The Lopen identifies this as the Dustbringer order. He advises Talik to discuss the matter with Highprince Dalinar Kholin and not to speak with the existing Dustbringers.

Afterward, the Windrunner commander, Kaladin, assigns the Lopen and his cousin Huio to the Akinah mission, in part because they can swim. Kaladin originally suggests also sending Rock, but Lopen explains that next week is Rock’s wedding anniversary and proposes Cord, a Horneater woman who can see spren, as a substitute. Kaladin agrees and instructs the team to get their final briefing from an ardent named Rushu before departing. Kaladin expresses his unease about the mission, and Lopen promises to ensure everyone’s safe return.

Rysn boards the Wandersail and settles into a new, permanent seat bolted to the quarterdeck, designed to give her a full view of the ship’s operations. The ship’s captain, Drlwan, is openly hostile and tells Rysn she should have remained at port. Queen Navani’s team from Urithiru arrives, and the sailors cheer the Windrunners’ presence. When Rysn notices the crew’s unusual reaction, Drlwan tells her that the ship’s pet skyeel was found dead, an event the superstitious crew takes as a bad omen. To ease their fears about the dangerous destination, Rysn announces that any sailor may stay behind without punishment. Three crewmen, including the cook, take her offer.

Afterward, Rysn realizes that Drlwan likely expected Vstim to give her the newly commissioned ship, especially since she had trained with its crew before Rysn received it instead. The crew’s resentment seems tied to their loyalty to Drlwan and their doubts about Rysn’s sudden elevation. Rather than blaming them, Rysn resolves to earn their trust as Vstim had earned theirs. Rysn encourages her porter, Nikli, to integrate with the crew by participating in their “sailorspren” hazing ritual. Because Cord, the Horneater woman accompanying the Radiants, can cook, she is able to replace the ship’s cook. With the crew reorganized, Rysn gives the order to sail.

Weeks into the voyage to Aimia, Rysn finds an unlikely bond with the Lopen, who jokes about his former experience as a one-armed man and her paralysis, leaving her relaxed and encouraged. Their conversation helps Rysn realize that humor can ease the discomfort others often bring to interactions about disability. The ardent scribe, Rushu, demonstrates the fabrial technology Navani hopes to adapt for Rysn. Using two magically conjoined ruby hoops, Rushu explains that while they can create hovering platforms, a chair for Rysn would still require a porter to move the controlling lattice, leaving her disappointed that the technology cannot yet provide the independent mobility she had hoped for.

Rushu also explains that Navani has asked her to experiment with aluminum, a metal recently discovered to block spanreed communication. The demonstration is cut short when Kstled urgently reports something to Captain Drlwan. The captain then informs Rysn that a strange phenomenon has been sighted, describing it as “dark Soulcasting” and a bad omen, and tells Rysn she must see it for herself.