Rogan Dahl and Tristan Carlin meet by chance on a rainy night, and are soon caught up in the storm of events leading to the greatest battlefield of their time. Their accidental encounter is the pivot-point around which the future revolves, for the great land of Harbendane - and for their own lives. The fortified city of Althea is treasured as the living, beating heart of Harbendane ... and the plans have been meticulously drawn for its downfall. The wild, savage tribes of the far north are in league with the cruel, ambitious warlord of Galshorros, and Althea lies almost undefended before massed armies. In the midst of this, Rogan and Tristan are caught up in an illicit love affair that could be death for them both.