Roshar is a world of storms and rocks. Superstorms of incredible power sweep over the stony landscape. In order to escape them, strange animals hide in shells, and bizarre plants take cover in the ground.
Centuries have passed since the fall of the Shining Knights, but only Shardplate and Shardblades remain. Possessing them turns ordinary people into invincible warriors.
On the Broken Plains, war rages against the mysterious Parshendi, whose representatives, a few years ago, killed the king of Alethkar. Kaladin, a former soldier who, by circumstances, became a slave, ends up in the Bridge Four squad—mortal men who, under a barrage of Parshendi arrows, carry bridges to allow the army to cross over chasms.
Dalinar Holin, the Crown Prince commanding one of the armies of Alethkar, is troubled by prophetic visions that come to him during superstorms. His opponent is the incomprehensible future.
Young Shallan seeks to meet the king’s sister, Jasnah, known both as an outstanding scholar and as a heretic. Although Shallan sincerely wants to become Jasnah’s student, not all of her intentions toward her future teacher are honest or noble.