Juvenile fiction Adolescence This is the second of five chronicles of Prydain in which Taran, the assistant-pig-keeper, longs to enter the world of men, but when he achieves his desire, he finds there is treachery as well as friendship

Accompanied by his faithful friend Gurgi, Taran Wanderer goes questing for his parentage, hoping it will prove noble for the sake of a beautiful princess.

Eight short stories dealing with events that preceded the birth of Taran, the Assistant Pig-Keeper and key figure in the author's five works on the Kingdom of Prydain.