Iolithie is cousin to the Royal Family, content in her life as she blossoms into adulthood. Then Prince Tykavn's intended Princess is slaughtered by The Unseen, the evil supernatural denizens of The Stolen Land, and Iolithie is chosen as the replacement bride. Outwardly, her Prince is all she could have hoped. But in the privacy of their bedchamber, Iolithie discovers her husband is more than just deeply religious. His elaborate rituals and rites to placate the sun-god Ama are becoming an obsession, his intense devotion a crippling illness. The priests and counsellors, even her own family, ignore her pleas, until Iolithie has only one chance to save her Prince. She must travel to the mother-kingdom Onafross and beg help from the King, her father-in-law. But to get there, she must cross The Stolen Land, where The Unseen worship the demon-goddess Sudema, the Evening Star - and kill any of Ama's children who trespass on their domain.