In the aftermath of a titanic battle, Ancel and the remnants of his people are fleeing to Benez, a city reviled by the world. Hunted by assassins and shadelings, he must fight to see them survive even as corruption creeps across the land, and his father battles for sanity. Ryne still holds onto his secrets, but suspicious of those around him, he makes a surprising discovery of his own, one he cannot reveal. Irmina's struggle with the loss of her parents, her feelings for Ancel, and her hate for Ryne, continues. As she comes into her power as a Beasttamer, she must hold onto a secret that could kill them all, while hoping the enemy will not discover what she knows. Meanwhile, the Nine continue to pull strings, and the armies of the Tribunal and Amuni's Children march, their ultimate goal to see an end to Ancel and the Eztezians, and to breach the prisons of the gods. But as often is in Denestia, many things are not what they seem.