From the introduction:
When Brechen Yura received a package from a former adventuring companion who had recently died, he thought nothing of it. Brechen had retired from the adventuring life ten years previously and enjoyed a simple life as a fishmonger in Capleon. He couldn’t make it to his friend’s funeral in Trombei. The package delivering two weeks after the service was a mild surprise but nothing he cared to open immediately. He reasoned it just contained mementos of their adventures together. It took him two days to open the parcel, which contained a rusted compass and a map to a small island south of Raguza. The map,
showing a pair of buildings to the south of a group of standing stones, stirred memories of an ancient life he never lived. He began having dreams about walking among crab-like people—dreams giving him the sensation of being home. Curiosity about the dreams became obsession, and Brechen knew traveling to the unnamed island was the only way he could satisfy his preoccupation.