In Naked Empire, amid unsettling omens and the appearance of a nervous stranger, mysterious events cast Richard Rahl and his wife, Kahlan, in with a handful of strangers committed to a hopeless cause. Together, they are swept up in the monumental struggle for the future of an empire and the search for the terrible truth behind its founding, its strength, and its fatal flaw. Richard suspects that the mystery behind the empire's most sacred beliefs may be the secret to its salvation. Amid the specter of death, a failure of faith, and a madman's lust for power, Richard is offered the chance for his own life and the lives of thousands, but it is Kahlan alone who holds that key.