Lewis begins with a partial backstory of his main character, a boy named Shasta who is being raised as the son of a coastal fisherman named Arsheesh. Shasta’s appearance is distinct from the average person from Calormen, the country where he lives. Most Calormenes have dark complexions, hair, and eyes, while Shasta is quite fair. Calormenes are depicted much like medieval citizens of the Middle East or North Africa. Though he wonders about the world beyond his village, Arsheesh prevents him from traveling or asking questions, particularly about the northern territories. Shasta is “very interested in everything that lay to the North because on one ever went that way and he was never allowed to go there himself” (2).

The storyline begins with a Tarkaan—a nobleman and soldier—arriving at Shasta’s home on a fine horse and demanding to be put up for the night. Though he is sent to sleep in the stable, Shasta secretly listens to the adults’ conversation and learns the Tarkaan intends to purchase him to be his slave. Shasta also learns the true story of how he came to live with Arsheesh, who is not his father. Arsheesh was by the ocean one night and saw a small boat that contained a sailor who had just died and a tiny baby boy, whom he raised to be his servant and called his son.