When the stream flowing from the Mountain dries up without warning, the villagers of Rin are desperate to discover why their vital water source has failed. A trip up the Mountain to search for the blockage is the obvious course of action. Quiet Rowan is a loner, considered capable only of caring for the bukshah herd, so the villagers question his inclusion in the group that seeks the cause of the stream’s failure. However, as the other members drop out of the climb, Rowan discovers that his own hidden strengths carry him through. Rowan rises to the aid of his fellow villagers again, in Rowan and the Travelers (Ages 8-11)