Geralt of Rivia, the famous White Wolf, is dead, killed by monsters after defeating the last Crone of Crookback Bog. His daughter Ciri is lost to the White Frost. After the assassination of King Radovid, Sigismund Dijkstra took control of the North and managed to defeat the invading forces of Nilfgaard; he is now ruling with an iron fist over most of the continent. There are some who oppose him still. Skellige remains unbroken as ever, and the dwarves of Mahakam elude every human influence. The rugged wilds of Kovir harbour many bands of lawless elements, adventurers and resistance fighters. Novigrad is effectively run by Vimme Vivaldi, and his strictly organised rule is a challenge for the overboarding chaos of the city.
Now that the war is over, the time for healing should have come. Instead the lands are ravished by one disastrous event after the other. Crops are failing without obvious reason, sometimes the corn turning black in a single night. Rumours of deformed calves, foals and even human babies can be heard anywhere between Poviss and Aedirn. New, unfamiliar monsters roam the lands and kill both humans and elves alike. The few remaining Witchers swear they have never seen or heard of these kinds of creatures before. Those with magical abilities, druids and priests with a special bond to nature around them, even many simple commoners feel that the world is changing. Whatever is happening, the trail leads north, to the small and seemingly insignificant kingdom of Caingorn.