Thao Phromatat (Lord Phromatat) is the ruler of the city-state of Nakhon Paranasri, who despite his advanced age has a stunningly beautiful young royal consort known as Nang Kaki (Lady Kaki), whom he deeply loves and is greatly possessive of, forbidding anyone, even the palace courtiers, noblemen or even his closest male friends from seeing, or even being in her presence, save for very few exceptions. One of the few males allowed to be in the presence of Kaki is Nadhkuvaen, a khondhan, or demigod half-man half-angel who is very attractive and very skilled in the musical fields and poetry, and a favourite court musician of Thao Phromatat, often playing calming lullabies when he indulges in his favourite sport of saka (an ancient Thai sport similar to modern-day polo, but in folk tales and chronologies often depicted with magical flying horses). Aside from his close relatives, Thao Phromatat also plays saka with a close friend, a mysterious figure extremely skilled in the sport known as Vaenadhrai, who actually is a garuda in disguise, and lives at a distant palace called Chimbhli, situated on Mount Meru, unreachable by most mere mortals. Vaenadhrai takes the appearance of a muscular, attractive man, who refuses to tell Thao Phromatat where he comes from, but always arrives to play saka with him on a standard basis before leaving.