The continent of Valentia is home to two sibling gods: Duma, the elder brother for whom only power holds meaning, and Mila, the younger sister who dreams of creating a paradise. After a long and brutal conflict between them, the land is split in two, with Duma lording over the north and Mila tending to the south.
Millennia later, two nations have taken root in their respective regions: Rigel, an empire of gallant but cruel knights, and Zofia, a kingdom of affluent decadence. Each of these two countries follows its own path, but they coexist in delicate harmony.
Peace comes to an end when Mila's blessing, which once provided bountiful harvests, suddenly disappears and leaves the lands of Zofia barren and infertile. An ambitious Zofian general named Desaix seizes the opportunity to instigate a coup d'état that ends in the death of Zofia's king. Rigel, sensing weakness in its neighbor, shatters the long peace Valentia had enjoyed by invading and ushering in an era of chaos and war.
Alm, resident of Ram Village in Zofia and the grandson of the knight Mycen, leaves home in the hopes of joining the Deliverance—a group dedicated to freeing Zofia from oppression. At the same time, his childhood friend Celica ventures to the Temple of Mila in an attempt to discover what has caused Mila's power to wane.  Thus do the wheels of fate begin to turn...

This game features a system that allows the player to move freely around an overworld map, with combat beginning upon contact with an enemy. Unlike other games in the series, there is no need to manage the army's funds, nor to worry about weapons breaking.