After a desperate escape from Mine Three, Cerrin now leads a band of escaped slaves on a deadly race for freedom across an endless, ancient forest.

At her heels are soldiers of the most advanced, most ruthless empire the galaxy has yet known. Leading the pursuit is Count Talazeer himself, a vicious nobleman driven by a personal vendetta against Cerrin—and a desperate need for redemption in the eyes of his family and his people.

For the escapees, each day of survival is a victory. Striking back at the enemy remains an impossible dream. And yet, once kindled, the flames of hope are not easily extinguished. Even as death claims them one by one, they hold fast to faith in their gods and, above all, in Cerrin.

Cerrin's people are not alone in this fight. Strange new allies—and enemies—await them amidst the trees and beyond the stars. When the fate of her world falls into her hands, Cerrin alone must choose between freedom for her people or forcing them into a larger war against the Vitaari Empire.