The king is dead, and any plans that Nirithu, the insignificant youngest son of a warrior clan, had for his future are over. Instead, he has to look after his cousin Risokh, just freed after years spent as the king's prisoner. To protect Risokh from intrigues within their own clan, fanatical devotees of rival religious factions, and his own self-destructive impulses, Nirithu must find the truth of what happened years ago when the king first imprisoned Risokh, and how the king really died.

As Risokh slowly begins to recover from his trauma, he becomes much more to Nirithu than an inconvenient responsibility—though Nirithu wonders if Risokh will ever be able to fully return his own growing attraction. In the meantime, Nirithu's search leads him into the study of forbidden sorcery and discovering family secrets he never wanted to know.