Gleda Goldenchild, also known as Walking Disaster, lives with her aunt and uncle at their family-owned bakery in Ivor. Gleda's specialties include making rock cakes and breaking dishes (and anything existing that can be broken). Her biggest concerns include repairing the kitchen she blew up and her feelings for Korsin Metalworker, the local blacksmith. But her normal, if somewhat hazardous, life comes to an end when she meets Cor the Frog. He is more than he appears. However, he is no "Prince Charming" in disguise, and he has not come to make Gleda live happily ever after. Not when there are secrets to reveal, an empire to tear down, and a country to save from the tyranny of the Mighty Lion.