In the kingdom of Stormhold, the current Lord of Stormhold is dying, and his children are gathered at his bedside. Three of them—Primus, Tertius, and Septimus—are still alive. The family tradition is that all of the children attempt to kill their siblings so there is only one left to succeed as ruler. Because there are three left, the Lord of Stormhold goes to the window and removes his necklace, a heavy topaz pendant that represents his power. He throws the necklace out the window, where it travels onward until it connects with a star. The star falls down to earth, and the Lord of Stormhold announces that whoever retrieves the necklace will take his place. The ghosts of the four dead brothers watch over the family.

Meanwhile, three old women known as the Lilim sit in a cottage in silence. They use animal entrails to divine the future, and one of them is able to see that a star has fallen. They draw lots to choose which will go after it. The oldest one wins; she uses the last of their magic to restore her youth and vows to bring the star back. Far away in a glade, the star falls—it isn’t a stone, as expected, but a woman named