 Bennat (Ben) Ladradun is a volunteer firefighter in Kugisko, the head of an operation that he developed and nurtured almost single-handedly after his wife and children died in a house fire.He befriends metal- and fire-mage Daja Kisubo during her stay in the city, and develops a sort of infatuation with her.When funding for his firefighting operation starts to fail, he takes to arson, deliberately setting fires of increasing scope and victims.