Lyra's Oxford opens in the thrilling comfort and familiarity of Jordan College, where Lyra and her daemon Pantalaimon sit on the sun-drenched roof looking out over all of Oxford. But their peace is shattered when a strange bird-a witch's daemon, on its own-tumbles out of the sky. It is Ragi, daemon of Yelena Pazhets, and he seeks a healing elixir from an infamous Oxford alchemist (and rumored man slaughterer) to cure his witch of a strange new disease from the South. Lyra and Pan decide to help and guide him-witches are friends, of course-but the closer their winding walk leads them to the alchemist's house, the stronger Lyra's sense that she's walking into a deadly trap.