A wounded young man becomes an inheritor, but his inheritance may well be the death of him. In the Georgia backwoods stands a magnificent estate - its inhabitants the possessors of awesome powers passed on from generation to generation. Local residents look upon those who dwell within with respect and fear ... trusting their fortunes and futures to the mysterious Master of Cardalba. The sudden death of his foster parents brings young Ronny Dillon under the wing of the wealthy, enigmatic Welch family - drawing the crippled teenager into a world of dark secrets and murderous ambitions. For within the walls of the great Welch mansion, Cardalba, a battle rages for the coveted prize of ancestral power - a war fought with maddening dreams and nets of illusion, awakening Ronny to the miraculous gift that is his birthright ... and the terrible legacy that might well be his doom.