The wizard Alder travels from Roke to the Isle of Gont to find the Archmage Sparrowhawk, formerly known as Ged. The man who was once the most powerful wizard of the Archipelago now lives with his wife and their adopted daughter. Alder needs his help: his beloved wife has died and comes to him in dreams from the land of the dead, asking him to reunite — but now all the dead are chasing him, asking him to help them cross into the world of the living, into Earthsea, which troubles the wizards.

Something much more significant than Alder's sleep, a minor wizard, is at stake here: the dragons of Earthsea have risen and are claiming the land that once belonged to them. Only Tehanu, herself the daughter of a dragon, can communicate with them. Perhaps in Alder's dreams lies the key to the salvation of Earthsea and its peoples.

URSULA K. LE GUIN