Mara of Acoma, having vanquished a blood enemy previously, finds the son of the enemy a much more bitter enemy who wont rest until the House of Acoma is vanquished. With considerable upheaval in the High council, Mara has to play the game not just to ensure the existence of her house but of the empire also. Amidst all this, Mara falls in love passionately with a slave while at the same time harboring feelings for another Lord. How Mara manages all this is brilliantly captured in this book.

As with Daughter of the Empire, Feist brings out his massive imagination at play in this book as well as contrasting the Midkemian and Tsuranian cultures. While a tad on the lengthier side and suffering from some uneven pacing in the middle, it is nevertheless a pulsating read and quite gripping.