It is the Year of Ix-a year of bad omens. For twins Chan and Kan, it's a normal year of helping their parents and having fun with their friends. But then their family's store of balch is destroyed, meaning they cannot pay their taxes to the king. Chan and his friend Pakal are accused of attempted murder by the king's spoiled nephew. Now, Chan is a slave, assigned a near impossible task to free his friend, and Kan is conscripted for a war party...