Halvar Danske, known as the Hireling, has come to Manatas to determine whether theres fraud afoot in the Feria. His master, the Al-Andalusian Calif Don Felipe, has had a letter from an old friend named Leon di Vicenza claiming part of the califs share of the Ferias revenues is being funneled into unauthorized pockets. Its more than an omen when Halvar stumbles on a brutally murdered man his first morning in Manatas, and the day goes downhill from there. Is the corpse really Leon di Vincenza, or is someone staging a gigantic hoax? And what does Halvars childhood love Dani Glick have to do with it?