General Uhr-Tao returns to Tassagon after battling to save the human race from extinction at the hands of the viciously inhuman Gorr in the Hinterlands. Tao finds life is no longer safe for the Kurel people in the ghetto, and many new laws and restrictions are being brutally enforced by his childhood friend King Xim, who is married to Aza, Tao's sister. Bringing peace to the kingdom and asking nothing for himself has made Tao not only extremely popular among his soldiers, but also the common people. This popularity, along with a personal sense of honor, makes Tao a very serious threat to Xim and his harsh regime. Tao is soon arrested on trumped up charges of treason and scheduled to hang.

With the help of a close friend and the royal children's Kurel tutor, Tao escapes prison. The scholarly tutor, Elsabeth, gives Tao asylum in her humble home in the Kurel ghetto. Tao soon learns Elsabeth is a woman of honor and conviction with a sensitive spirit and a brave heart determined to teach him the Kurel ways. When they have to flee the ghetto for the wilderness, Elsabeth's opinion of Tao changes, as his survival skills and bravery become apparent. Following a meeting with members of another human tribe, Riders of the Plains, Elsabeth realizes there are more humans who survived the wreck of the great ark, the mothership that brought the humans to this planet from Uhrth. Now she's even more determined to help Tao clear his name and save all the humans of the kingdom. Will they be able to overcome the evil that threatens to undermine civilization and embrace the love that's growing between them?

Susan Grant is an expert at world-building and she outdoes herself in this exciting fantasy adventure. The characters are captivating and the premise intriguingly realistic for an alternate world. The talented Grant is at the top of her game in this genre -- truly one of a kind!