A young warrior sets out to rid his homeland of its evil conqueror. In the opener, Lief and his guardian, Barda, embark on their quest to locate the seven gems necessary to free Deltora from the Shadow Lord.
Lief and his friends move toward the next destination after defeating the Thaegan Sorceress, but Lief realizes they're being followed when the belt signals danger and Jasmine gets a bad feeling.
The Grey Guards continue their pursuit as Lief and the others search for the fourth gem in the Shifting Sands, where they meet Terreocti, the Sand Beast.
The sorceress Thaegan is revived by the Shadow Lord and vows revenge against Lief, who continues his journey. Meanwhile, Jasmine has doubts about Francoise.
Lief has a nightmare that reveals a door bearing the Shadow Lord's mark after he and his friends drink from the Dreaming Spring on their way to Dread Mountain.
Sports Quest goes to Sweden where teams of athletes take on one of the toughest one day races in the world, the Otillo swimrun. We visit Sipi River Lodge at Mount Elgon in Uganda and follow the Absa Cape Epic mountain bike stage race in South Africa.
Lief and his friends are detained at the Resistance hideout until they're cleared of being the Shadow Lord's Ols. Meanwhile, Jasmine decides to leave the group and travel on her own.
Jasmine leaves a secret code for Lief, which he finds when his group enters a town ransacked by Bandits. Meanwhile, their new companion Dain reveals more about himself as they travel to the Tol River.
Jasmine rejoins the group on a river boat swarming with pirates and Ols. After the battle, Lief realizes that some of his friends and his belt are missing.
Dain disappears while Lief and the others escape the Maze of the Beast with the sixth gem. While traveling through the forest, the group is being watched by an unknown person.
The group is swept along the River Tor to the City of Tora, where Dain's footsteps lead them through the city walls even though they're being followed by the Grey Guards.
A spy remains undetected among the united seven tribes. Lief is concerned but focuses on the pledging ceremony in the hopes that the royal heir will be found.
Lief and the others plan to sneak into the Palace of Del to rescue Dain, who's been kidnapped. But they're attacked by an enemy believed beaten in the Valley of the Lost.