Newly arrived in Pazzio, the traveling merchant Lawrence and his companion, Holo the Wisewolf, are poised to turn a huge profit on a currency scheme. But when the deal goes sour and Holo is abducted, will Lawrence's dreams of earning enough to become a proper town merchant fade? Or can this meek merchant devise a new strategy to rescue both his profits and the girl before Holo is delivered to the hands of the Church?