Continuing the saga of Pern and its dragonriders, this is the story of Jaxom and his dragon Ruth. As Jaxom nears manhood and his confirmation as Lord of Ruatha Hold approaches, he finds it difficult to get people to take him seriously. Tired of his boring life, Lord Jaxom decides to secretly train his extraordinary dragon to take part in the desperate battles of dragons and their riders against the Threadfall that periodically threatens their planet.