After the Lutean Empire dammed the mighty Viora Falls to power its citadel, every river and lake east of it dried up, leaving only the Dust. Those weakened rivers take human form and flee towards an ocean they've never seen, first on horseback, then after a scuffle with a group of Luteans, on foot.

The group comes across a seemingly deserted town, and are welcomed in by a ragtag group of humans, who seem to harbor no love for the Luteans. But this turns out to be a trap—the rivers find one of their own, weakened and enslaved by the town, and must fight the villagers to escape. In the battle, one of the rivers is wounded and eventually dies, leaving the rest to push onward towards the dream of the ocean.