Four and a half years after the events of book one, Cassian is called to serve in the Denigoth military and must contend with the corrupt forces that wish to see him dead, as well as with his starborn brother, Dimitris. Gretis has honed Kota into an incredibly skilled warrior, but she remains terrified of the awesome power the sleeps within him as the time looms nearer and nearer when she must draw it out. Livia and Iona must begin to face the consequences of who and what each of them truly is.