As a young boy, the orphan Jakob Hassler comes under the care of the Black Forest master raftsman Ridinger. Barely of age, he takes charge of a risky rafting journey on the Rhine. He quickly finds himself caught in a whirlpool of power, jealousy, and intrigue. In great danger, he makes a fateful decision that will shape the rest of his life. The author takes the reader on a gripping journey through time - into the valleys of the Black Forest and along the great, rushing river, the Rhine. It was the Black Forest raftsmen of the late Middle Ages who, with their extensive travels down the Rhine, contributed to the further exploration and closer connection of the Western European cultural area.