When Commadont Alaric Monteval is asked to emigrate from his homeland of Vasque to neighboring Orexa on a long-term diplomatic mission, he thinks the move tantamount to retirement from his soldiering days and resigns himself to a quiet—and assuredly boring—life among the clouds atop the airborne country's luxurious Holds.However, he quickly finds himself wishing that the most intimidating hurdles he might be faced with were the opulent Oresian galas and the fickle moods of his new Holdmaster, Everet of Eizenthley, as he's drawn into helping investigate an assassination attempt prefacing a coup d'etat.Now the newly minted ambassador and his host must work together—a difficult task at times—to unravel the murderers' plot before their world comes quite literally crashing down on their heads.