The story begins with a vivid description of the sunset over the snow-capped peaks as three men – Kull, Am-ra, and Gor-na – prepare a meal of venison. The young, graceful Am-ra is cooking, while Kull, slightly older and larger, and the massive, aggressive Gor-na converse. Their dialogue reveals their camaraderie and different perspectives on life and tradition.

As night falls, they discuss the worship of the moon by tigers, a legend explained by Gor-na but doubted by the skeptical Kull. This conversation highlights the tension between Kull's pragmatic outlook and Gor-na's reverence for tradition. Kull's disdain for traditional beliefs and his mysterious background as an orphan raised by the Sea-mountain tribe are underscored.

Their talk shifts to war and the Valusian Empire. Kull expresses a desire to see Valusia, despite Gor-na's vehement hatred for the empire. Kull's dream during the night reveals his ambition and foreshadows his future as a king, though he awakens to his current reality as a barbarian.

The following morning, they return to their tribe's caves and discover a girl being burned at the stake for marrying a Lemurian pirate. Despite her calm acceptance of her fate, Kull, moved by her plight, kills her swiftly with a dagger to spare her from the flames. This act of mercy, however, turns his own people against him.

Kull escapes up a cliff, evading capture thanks to Am-ra's subtle intervention. The story concludes with Kull fleeing his tribe, marked by his own people's wrath for defying their brutal customs, highlighting his internal conflict with the harsh traditions of Atlantis.