Ironically, Astarion finds himself trapped once again in the coffin from which Cazador had rescued him two hundred years earlier. The vampire lord does not tolerate disobedience and is sure that next time Astarion will think twice before escaping. As he battles an unrelenting bloodlust and the torment of his imprisonment, however, salvation arrives unexpectedly in the form of Haborym, a mysterious figure linked to the Lord of Murder.