The daughter of a king and a fairy, the Princess Niamh is glorious fair—perhaps overly so. Her incredible beauty proves a curse for no man can withstand even a moment in her presence without running mad. Suitor after suitor is turned away, since no one regardless of family name or credentials, is able to approach the Princess without suffering intense burning. The kingdom’s only hope rests upon a most unusual bridegroom: the Hermit. With the claws and wings of an eagle, and the head and tail of a lion, the mystery of a magician, and the piety of a saint, he alone may hold her—that is, if he can find his bride before she is led to perdition by the wicked Count and his shadowy minions.