The dragon Lamprophyre prefers poetry to politics and would rather fly than hunt. But when humans intrude on dragon territory for the first time in centuries, only Lamprophyre wants to know why. Her search leads her to meet the human Prince Rokshan—and ends with her mother, the dragon queen, appointing her ambassador to the humans of Gonjiri.

Alone in the humans' capital city, with Rokshan her only friend, Lamprophyre learns quickly that not all humans can be trusted. Some want dragons gone from Gonjiri. Others want to use them in political intrigue. And a few want all dragons dead. Unless Lamprophyre discovers the culprits behind all these plots, the first contact between humans and dragons will end in war.