Dias, a celebrated warrior, returns home after decades of war. He is hailed as a hero and rewarded for his service with his own domain, but the land granted to him is nothing more than vast, empty plains. The population is zero, and there are no buildings or infrastructure. Dias, who knows only how to fight, is completely lost on how to survive or cultivate a territory from nothing.

His situation changes when he encounters Alna, a girl with horns who belongs to the onikin, a clan of indigenous people who have long lived on these plains while hiding from humans. Alna possesses a horn that can sense a person's truthfulness and can see that Dias has good intentions. She decides to help him, teaching him survival skills and showing him that the land is not as barren as it seems. The story follows Dias and Alna as they begin building a settlement from scratch. The narrative focuses on territory development, attracting settlers, and navigating the complexities of politics and diplomacy.

The main characters include Dias, a strong and straightforward former soldier who is determined to be a good lord, and Alna, a capable and strong-willed onikin girl who becomes his guide and fiancée, though Dias insists on waiting until she is of age to marry. Other characters include Klaus, Dias’s old war buddy, and Senai, Ayhan, and Eldan. Notable narrative arcs include the initial struggle for survival on the plains, the integration of the first settlers like refugees fleeing a civil uprising, and the political challenges that arise when neighboring lords take an interest in the new domain. As the territory grows into a village named Iluk, the story expands to include the arrival of new residents such as cavekin blacksmiths and a civil servant, as well as threats like a dragon.