A man named Ged recounts his time on a boat called LookAfar and remembers an individual he met there, a man named Vetch who died when his ship was lost at sea. Vetch had a sister with a pet dragon. Ged also thinks about the different landforms present where he lives, such as the oceans and mountains. He thinks of a dragon, Kalessin, and the foggy islands that it lived near. Light from the fire plays with the shadows in the rafters of Ged's home, where he lives with his cat and a woman named Tenar. Tenar calls their cat Baroon, which means "cat" in another language. Ged then thinks about how the sorcerers of villages often married witches, which was viewed as inferior because wizards are celibate. Witches were known as being unclean. Ged had a master who once learned from generations of wizards and witches, but he tries to unlearn what he knows. He recounts his life as a child and how his father was very strict. However, Ged loves that he knows the names for things like the wind. He also learned patience. As he thinks about his time in the temple, Tenar brings him duck broth because his hands are cold. When Ged falls asleep, he finds himself in the ship, LookAfar. He looks at the area around him and realizes there is nothing to fear.