The story moves back and forth between the prehistoric and the modern landscape for some extraordinary effects. In the last third of this tale, in an attempt to co-opt Gorgik the Liberator and bring him to heel as well as to distract the people from the “plague” that moves among them, the government invites Gorgik to join the ruling council as a minister — so that he must learn to conclude his battle as a politician rather than as an armed rebel.