Judith is a forest ranger of the Ramliearth guardians of the forest, a group of people who guard the Unicorn Forest against poachers and other thugs. She is also a unicorn maiden, a woman who has a special bond with a unicorn—in her case Anwen—and can communicate with them. Unicorns may pick a maiden of their choosing and will henceforth be inseparable from them. Somewhere around the area, a mysterious man seems to have a special interest in unicorn maidens and is willing to pay a high price for them. Is he after the bond the maidens and unicorns share with one another?