Anger, pain, and a burning need for revenge are a far cry from the family, duty, and honor that were on Darian Tor's mind when he first enlisted in the Imperial Army. Betrayed by his superiors and left to perish behind enemy walls, the young soldier has witnessed his fellow soldiers dying in one act of cruelty after another. With his list of allies swiftly dwindling, hopes for his own escape are evaporating. But there is one thing keeping him going. The desire to see those who have betrayed him and murdered his friends brought to justice, no matter the cost.

All the while, Captain Thaddeus Dunstan is engaged in a desperate search for a path into enemy territory, determined to save the lives of his remaining soldiers. When an unexpected potential ally appears, he must decide if he is willing to work with them in the name of reaching his men before it is too late. General Alexander Sylvester, on the other hand, has little concern for Darian Tor or for anything that is not his own need for more power. But in his mad rush to seize control of the Imperial Army, he now finds he may have overextended himself. With desperation setting in, he is forced to accept new bargains, which may prove to have unforeseeable consequences.