The hero is Richard-the-Seeker, a woodsman with a magic sword. One day in his forest he rescues a woman pursued by assassins. She turns out to be Kahlan Amnell from the neighboring kingdom of Midlands who is seeking a wizard named Zedd to help her destroy the tyrant ruling her kingdom. Richard takes her to him and the novel is the story of their joint adventure. A first novel.

In Wizard's First Rule, Richard Cypher's world was turned upside down. Once a simple woods guide, Richard was forced to become the Seeker of Truth, to save the world from the vile dominance of Darken Rahl, the most viciously savage and powerful wizard the world had ever seen. He was joined on this epic quest by his beloved Kahlan, the only survivor among the Confessors, who brought a powerful but benevolent justice to the land before Rahl's evil scourge....

Richard Cypher, wielder of the Sword of Truth, joins with his beloved Kahlan to track down the hunters of souls she unwittingly unleashed when she summoned the dominion of the chimes in an effort to save Richard from a deadly evil.

A deep underground machine awakens after thousands of years and foretells ominous events including a catastrophic prediction involving Richard Cypher and Kahlan Amnell.