When she is eight years old, princess Rilsin Sae Becha is forced to fight for survival when her kingdom of Saeditin is seized in a political coup. Though the throne is her birthright -- the Land is infused in her blood -- to bring about peace, Rilsin pledges her loyalty to the rule of her cousin Sithli.

Kept close at hand in Sithli's court, Rilsin becomes a woman bereft of the freedoms of life and love -- and she is forced to stand aside as her cousin mishandles affairs within the kingdom to the point of revolt, and relations with the surrounding states to the point of open war.

Soon, Rilsin sees that she must choose between keeping her promise to support Sithli, or staging a rebellion that could ruin the very kingdom she is pledged to protect. The Land calls to her, but to heed that call she will have to risk all she holds dear...