Twenty-three years have passed since the Great Civil War tore the Lanarian Empire in two.  Homelessness and poverty still plague the interstellar nation, but the wounds of the conflict are healing.  Then, suddenly, the great peacemaker Emperor Xeres collapses and dies, leaving the Empire in the hands of his oldest daughter, a young woman named Vazali who hadn't expected to take the throne for many years.

Suddenly thrust into the role of Empress, Vazali finds herself alone and uncertain.  Her younger brother, Xeebec, loathes her for inheriting a crown he feels should be his.   Hostility with the Vincaran Federation simmers below the surface, ready to bubble forth at the slightest pretext...

Vazali wants to do right by the Empire in her care, but even the strongest leader needs someone at their side for support.  When a medical crisis leaves her unable to bear children, her few romantic prospects evaporate.   Her siblings have moved on and started families, while despite her power and prestige Vazali faces an uncertain future utterly alone.  The closest thing she has to a friend is her solemn and dedicated Chief of Security, Bronzar.  He diligently protects her from harm, but sometimes the greatest enemy is within...

Homeless and equally alone, Delzeena has few happy memories of the first ten years of her life.  The prospects for the next ten, if she survives on the street that long, are just as bleak.  She has nothing but her own life and her unbowed spirit, but now a mysterious Vincaran with a dark vendetta threatens to take away even that...