Paul and his sister Chaeley are from the city, so when their uncle's boat sinks and they wash up on an uninhabited stretch of beach they are naturally worried about their future. When they find a genie who grudgingly grants them a wish, they logically wish for transportation home, but Paul forgets to be explicit about the details.

Despite all Paul's attempts to get the genie to undo the spell, Rialti the genie refuses. In desperation, Paul finally agrees to go on a quest to bring the genie a magical dragon horn. Armed only with a sword, bow and arrows, and some food, Paul and Chaeley set off to cross the Crown of Amaranth into the dragons hunting grounds.

For the protection of the magical people and animals that live in the Crown of Amaranth, its location must of course remain a secret. We can only tell you that it is one of the last refuges of wizards, witches, trolls, giants, fairy folk, unicorns and dragons, all of whom have their own problems and their own reasons for delaying the children in their quest.