Seventeen years ago, Keth Caider's parents were killed in a mysterious attack while out on a pleasure boat on White Lake. To escape the ensuing court scandal, Keth enlisted in the Imperial Army, while her school rival Theraine Carfan took up the wayfarer's staff and disappeared into the Wilds.
Now, Keth is the commander of the Capital Guard, and Theraine has just returned to the Imperial Court, bringing with her magical gifts from the Wilds?and the chaos of the Wilds as well.
As noble after noble falls victim to Theraine's machinations and their own greed and corruption, Keth's royal sponsor Prince Andan orders her to find out what Theraine's true goals are. Keth's investigation rekindles her and Theraine's old spark and deepens their feelings for each other, but will it also topple an empire?
