The plot of this book is one that has been used many times, former soldier Aerek finds an unusual stone of great beauty in a mountain woods. He picks it up and later discovers that the stone is actually the egg of the Gryphon, a powerful creature with the head, talons and wings of an eagle but the body of a lion. They are part of the lore of Aerek and his people and they are supposed to be untamable.

When the egg hatches the hatchling is called Edric and Aerek and his group discover that they can communicate with Edric telepathically and that he is tamer than they expected. Although the people that know of Edric are smart enough to let him be a Gryphon and not try to domesticate him. People in their community come into danger and Edric proves to be a capable defender. The entire community comes under attack by the mighty Arimaspian Cyclops and it is up to the much smaller humans and Edric to defeat these terrible raiders.
Despite the plot being a rehash of one that has been used many times, Williams makes this story work. He does it by keeping it moving and at a level of late middle school. The story is a fantasy involving an animal allied with humans against a deadlier foe, one that humans, especially children, have a natural affinity for. The writing is clear and concise; the story is taken from start to completion in 65 pages.