Dray Prescot had fought long and hard through perilous lands to claim the hand of the heiress of mighty Vallia. Yet, when finally he set foot in that long-sought empire, it was not as hero or noble... It was as an unknown, a mendicant, and finally as a condemned slave.

For the combatant fates that had interfered continually with his quest on the planet of the twin suns of Antares had yet more tests for the man they had selected as their agent.

But for Dray there was only one goal - already in sight - and he would not be turned aside any longer no matter what dangers Vallian intrigues and quasi-human mysteries may have in store for him.