Duke Narthrum, a royal in the Cranath realm, covets the crown. His opportunity to claim the throne arises when his uncle, King Cealfrun, dies. Narthrum stands as a Claimant, determined to pursue every possible means to ensure he is chosen. But what price will he pay in his hunger for the crown? Will he accept offers without fully understanding their cost – even an offer from a shadowy Emissary who is able to enter his dreams?

Young and attractive, Lady Alaine travels with her brother, Duke Thulen, to the kingdom’s capital. She hopes to find someone special, a favorable entwining for her and one which will also enhance the influence and prestige of her brother’s duchy. Might she find love with the man who would be king?

A worrisome spate of dire visions hint at an unknown evil lurking within the realm – an evil prophesied to wreak destruction upon the Cranath within the year. Perhaps the Cranath Star-Spirit will protect them from the evil. Or perhaps the Star-Spirit is only a legend as some say, and as members of a new faith, the House of Oneness of God and Man, assert. Faced with impending doom, the king and his ministers struggle to unravel meaning from the visions in time to prevent evil from being unleashed in the Land.