In Xanth, little ones are actually delivered by storks, and the stork assigned to deliver Surprise Golem's eagerly awaited bundle of joy has inexplicably refused to surrender it, flying off instead through a hole in the fabric of reality. Now, to track down her offspring, Surprise must lead an ill-assorted assemblage of confederates on a desperate quest through dozens of different Xanths. But sinister, unseen forces are determined to stop her, and in order to find her child, Surprise may have to lose her heart.