Mafinga's king dislikes books and with his sorcerer has collapsed the environment. The sun has killed all the men, including Jasmin’s husband Godi. But Jasmin has Godi’s secret story machine that tells of a better world. Jasmin’s crime for possessing the machine is punishable by death. Fate grants a cruel reprieve in the service of a childless queen who claims Jasmin’s children as her own. Jasmin is powerless—until she discovers secrets behind the king and his sorcerer.