Prepared to regain the favor of the Priest Kings by fighting in the war between Ar and Cos, Tarl Cabot confronts the challenge of surviving the war. Having devised a war strategy, Cabot is ready to execute his plan with help from warriors, free women, and slave women. The involvement of the mercenaries of Dietrich of Tarnburg causes Cabot's plans go awry, and now he must devise a plan to shift the war in another direction.