Riots rage on the streets of Bond. Behind the scenes, a core of guilds master grasp at gaining power, deciding that slaying Kron Darkbow would give them more recognition on the streets. But Kron has something to say about that, as do the ghosts inhabiting his new property, the Asylum, where a hundred men, the mad and their guards, were slain during a magical mishap a year earlier.

A year has passed since Kron Darkbow survived the clutches of Belgad the Liar and the evil Lord Verkain. Returned to the city of Bond, now Kron attempts to find his place in the world. He begins by rebuilding his new home in the Asylum, a place haunted by the memories of those slain there. But riots in the streets intrude, and power struggles within the city's guilds draw Kron into a web of deceit. Kerjim, the master of the Docks Guild, has high plans, and the slaying of Kron Darkbow is imminent among them. Facing fighting in the streets and late-night assassination attempts, Kron soon learns these are the least of his concerns. Because more than just memories are lingering within the Asylum.