In his 1964 CBC Massey Lectures C. B. Macpherson examines the rival ideas of democracy - the communist, Third World, and Western-liberal variants - and their impact on one another. He suggests that the West need not fear any challenge to liberal democracy if it is prepared to re-examine and alter its own values.

Cal Garrick, a simple stableboy, dreams of a life beyond his idyllic village – one of adventure and renown. His world is soon turned upside down when his life is saved by a mysterious stranger belonging to an old order of peacekeepers who fell from grace a decade ago. Now, Cal must help this disgraced warrior in his quest to uncover the truth about the destruction of the Order of Wardens.