War has burst the banks of the river Parushni and floods across the land. A confederacy of ten tyrannical kings threatens to drown the lives of millions in their greed. Great and sacred powers lie in the balance and with them hangs the fate of the entire world. In the distant past, an arrogant king kneels defeated before a great sage - a magi of uncommon power - and is told to command that power himself he must abandon everything, even his crown. In the present, a young prince is presented with his father's crown and a sacred duty to protect his people, at all costs. The heroic doctor Upaas from Harappa bids farewell to his good friend, Shushun of Elam, and travels homeward with his love Lopa, and his trusty friend Parthava, but is drawn into a mission of the utmost secrecy, which may change the fate of the entire kingdom. The conquering King Sudas rules his country Bharata from the 'centre of the world' Ilaspada with the assistance of the peaceful Sage Vasishta and the proud Sage Vishvamitra, having waged a successful war of conquest on the neighbouring territories. Upaas is commanded to serve at the royal hospital there, forcing him to leave his home city Harappa with Lopa and his young child still a babe, to live in the centre of the greatest empire the has ever seen. Yet even at the height of its power, Sudas' kingdom lies under threat from all sides, from apostate kings and barbarians that have banded together in competition with Sudas, defiantly wielding demonic powers and threatening the life of the king himself. As Sudas moves to mobilise against forces that threaten Harappa, Sage Vishvamitra, the wielder of a power capable of defeating entire armies, abandons the kingdom prophesying doom and destruction. Upaas must learn to counter mystic powers, under the guidance of Vasishta, to protect all that he holds dear from annihilation. With Lopa and Parthava at Upaas' side, he seeks the assistance of the mystical Ghandharis - custodians of the powerful Soma plant -, which is needed for the holy rituals of power. Meanwhile the usurper kings gather their allies and plan for a war on a scale never before seen, not since the Avestans marched greedily on Harappa. Sudas rides against them, against the dark powers of the Dasyus and their merciless armies of raiders. And the proud-orphaned prince, Cayamana, has grown to fill the heavy crown left for him. A prophesied saviour among his people he leads the confederacy against Sudas wielding the powers of Magi and threatens the capital, Ilaspada. When they see Vishvamitra behind Cayamana, the fears of Sudas and Vasishta seem to be confirmed, and nothing less than an act of God can save from the brutally superior forces arrayed against the city. The fate of the world lies in the balance as a tide of war threatens to engulf both Ilaspada and Upaas.