So far the main character has found out who murdered his father, who his best friend Zedd truely is, and that things on the other side of the boundary are very different from home. He found that a man named Darken Raul, whom seeks an ultimate power to rule over all, was the one who killed his father. And it also turns out that his lifelong friend and mentor Zedd, turns out to be The Great Wizard, whose name was once lost to all. Niether Richard nor his compainions have the power to stop the looming evil, but they do have the power to stall Raul. If they manage to get one of the "three boxes of Orden", they can prevent him from achieveing his powers. And if he does not pick one, he will die. As will he if he chooses either of the wrong ones. Time is running out for everyone.