Envoy travels to the Earth Tower of Barabbas, accompanied by two Khattan guards (Rajim and Avrim) and by Lochinvar the Ranger (who has been there before). She invokes a ritual to part the sandstorm surrounding the tower, and then has herself dropped off at the north end of the tower, where the "flower elevator" is located, and the gear unloaded. The sand ship leaves, and a small mound of sand appears, apparently the sand golem Lochinvar had warned about. The two guards hastily load equipment onto the flower elevator and get it up into the tower, while Envoy uses a cantrip to walk upon the sand without disturbing it, and Lochinvar makes use of his wings. They successfully evade the golem, getting their gear inside.

The explorers get past a magical door knocker, a ruby guardian statue, an amber hallway, and a trapped staircase, and set up camp in a garden inside the tree/tower, at the base. Envoy and Lochinvar then explore further, going through a gargoyle puzzle room, then encountering a crystal chamber – where Envoy figures out that the proper column is the one that does NOT have a true stone in it, as coral is an organic product – then the sapphire aquarium, and then they make their way through the "stomping corridor".

Envoy is asked a riddle by the Sphynx guardian – and answers it – and then both Lochinvar and Envoy solve a puzzle that involves a scale and nine gems, one gem being of different weight (lighter or heavier) than the rest. This last puzzle is solved, and they get to the upper area of the tower. Envoy stacks together some discs of four different "elements", noting that they correspond to the levels of the tower, and when she puts them in proper order, the last chamber materializes.

There, they find the black statue of Barabbas himself, and more of his wondrous creations, in suspended animation. Envoy theorizes about how Barabbas died … and whether there might be some way to revive him. Lochinvar helps out by finding the keys to the library and personal chambers, and translating some papers for Envoy.