Lyra learns the cost of war in a single, life-altering afternoon. Her homeland has been invaded by an ambitious new king, and she has lost everything -- her farm, her family and her will to live. Enslaved and shackled, she is marched off to serve Temris Ragnyrsbane, a ruthless warlord in the pay of the enemy. But Temris is not all he seems to be, and with him Lyra finds a chance in a million of overthrowing the tyrant who destroyed her entire life.