A year has passed since Ben Holiday bought the Magic Kingdom and claimed his throne - despite the machinations of the wizard Meeks. Three loyal friends have come to his aid: the incompetent Court Wizard, Questor Thews; the court scribe, Abernathy, a talking dog; and the lovely Willow, who is sometimes a tree. When Ben dreams that a former partner, Miles Bennett, is in grave trouble, he travels back to Earth - only to find Miles in the best of spirits. But his return to Landover is not so uneventful: not only has Willow disappeared and Questor's books of magic been destroyed, but no one seems to recognise Ben himself. Looks like the magic kingdom is in real trouble...