After spending five years with Prince Arthur—who, much to the despair of his cousin Morgana, is about to marry the lovely Princess Guinevere—Merlin retreats to the Forest of Brocéliande to enjoy a peaceful life of seclusion. But the arrival of the spirited fairy Viviane and her young son Lancelot is about to shatter his plans. The fairy makes herself at home, wielding her charms and mischief. The more Merlin falls in love with her, the more he loses his powers—powers he desperately needs, since Morgana, burning with the pangs of unrequited love, has just formed an alliance with Vortigern, the terrible barbarian king…