Magic, heresy, and treachery: Count Galoran must face them all to keep his high castle.
- Galoran is a scarred warrior and younger son, cast aside by the emperor when his days of service seem over.
- Melchior is a priest trained in the difficult and highly dangerous magical arts, with dark family secrets to hide.
The two are thrown together when Galoran unexpectedly inherits the castle and county of Peyrefixade, and Melchior is assigned as his spiritual advisor. Galoran soon learns that others covet his castle, the heretics who were supposed to have been defeated in the great war against them but who still hide in their mountain fastnesses. They practice powerful magic that, it seems, can only be countered by another magic worker—but can Galoran trust his chaplain?
Set in an alternate version of southern France in the Middle Ages, the story is told from the alternating viewpoints of the two main characters, who may see the same events very differently. The outcome turns on mystery, betrayal, desperate battles, religious passion, and the fundamental question of who is really the enemy.