Randolph Carter dreams of a majestic city but can not approach it. When he prays to the gods of dream to reveal the city's whereabouts, his dreams of the city stop altogether. Undaunted, Carter resolves to beseech the gods in person at Kadath. However, no one knows where that is. In dream, Carter consults priests in a temple that borders the Dreamlands. They warn Carter of great danger and suggest that the gods purposefully stopped his visions.Carter's knowledge of Dreamlands customs and languages makes his quest comparatively less risky than if done by an amateur, but he must consult entities with a dangerous reputation. The Zoogs, a race of predatory rodents, direct him to Ulthar to find the priest Atal. In the cat-laden city of Ulthar, Atal mentions a huge mountainside carving of the gods' features. Carter realizes the gods' mortal descendants will share those features and presumably be near Kadath. While seeking passage there, Carter is kidnapped by turbaned slavers, who take him to the moon and deliver him to horrible moon-beasts, the servants of malevolent god Nyarlathotep. The cats of Ulthar, Carter's allies, rescue him and return him to a port city.