In the aftermath of the Great Fire War, Prince Sirrus' betrayal strikes at the core of his family dynasty. He has seen too much. He cannot abide their evil ways any longer.

Sirrus flees from his northern kingdom to escape assassination until he grows strong enough to avenge his family's war crimes. The power vacuum caused by his absence sends the north careening towards civil war. Meanwhile, Sirrus' survival in the south depends on befriending former enemies and learning the ways of wildlings and dragon riders.

Sirrus questions what to believe about right and wrong when the teachings of southern savages take root in his icy heart. As the civil war bleeds south and endangers Sirrus' new friends, he rises to defend what he thinks is right in a way he never planned and with allies he never expected.