"My name is Kvothe. You may have heard of me." So begins the story of a legend - told by the man himself. In a quiet inn at the edge of nowhere, the infamous Kvothe - arcanist, musician, killer, king-slayer - tells his true story to a chronicler over three days. It begins with a childhood spent among the travelling Edema Ruh, where his extraordinary talent caught the attention of an arcanist who taught him more than any child should know. It continues through the night the Chandrian came, and everything he loved was destroyed. Orphaned and alone on the streets of Tarbean, the boy who would become a legend first had to survive. When Kvothe finally claws his way to the University - the greatest centre of learning in the world - he arrives penniless, desperate, and younger than any student in living memory. What follows is a story of brilliance and recklessness, of a young man making powerful friends and more powerful enemies, all while chasing the secret behind the tragedy that shaped him.