Japan, 1500. Aderyn Aquilla wakes to the clamor of a battle. An hour later, she is the only European on the ship alive and is face-to-face with an evil samurai with a sword at her throat. How will she survive?

Sanematsu Yoshihide has seen more bloodshed in his short life than he ever imagined and cannot bring himself to spill more. But what will he do with the stranger who could bring civil war to his domain on the island of Kyushu?

Together, Aderyn and Sanematsu defy convention and the law to fall in love. Only the Shogun can stop the Sanematsu clan's ascent to power, and they have just given him a weapon greater than any other to use against them.