Alvin Miller is a young boy with an incredible power — the ability to shape the world around him by “making.” But Alvin also had a powerful adversary known as the “Unmaker” that grows stronger every time he uses his ability to create death or destruction. And as the drunken Red man Lolla-Wossiky encounters Alvin for the first time, he realizes he must teach the boy of his great purpose and responsibility before the Unmaker can gain a foothold. But both Alvin and Lolla-Wossiky will be changed forever by the experience, and one of them will go on to become the Red Prophet while the other will one day build a special place known as the Crystal City.