Born human, raised by wolves, Firekeeper seems the last person anyone would choose to back as a candidate for heir apparent to a royal throne. Nonetheless, when Firekeeper and her wolf "brother," Blind Seer, travel with Earl Kestrel's expedition into the kingdom of Hawk Haven, the earl thrusts the wolf-woman into the midst of the heated intrigue surrounding who will be chosen as the heir of elderly King Tedric.

Soon, the only thing the competing factions seem able to agree upon is that Firekeeper is an enemy. Firekeeper may not be able to read or write. She may struggle to speak a coherent sentence. However, if there is one thing the wolf-woman has learned from her life among wolves, it is that a strong pack needs an even stronger leader.

Will Firekeeper win the fight for the throne? Whatever happens, the wolf-woman's part in the contest will forever change it, even for those who do not see through wolf's eyes.