The empire of Monde is the envy of its neighbors. Nasrin, a war refugee in hiding, has lived illegally in the kingdom for years with her son, Lucian. Her raven-black hair and prismatic eyes mark her as a foreigner, ensuring she will never escape scrutiny. Lucian is also different, but not in the same way as his mother: his silver-gray eyes can arrest someone with a glance, his memory is infallible, and his body recovers from wounds no one else could survive.

When Fabien de Vistré, Marshal of Monde, captures Nasrin, duty demands he punish her. Instead, he shields her and her child-threatening his standing with the king. The marshal knows his duty: serve His Majesty and enforce the law. Yet his preoccupation with Nasrin drags him into dangerous defiance.

Lucian's gifts cannot remain hidden. As he grows, he defies his mother's warnings, drawing the attention of rival kings. When he reaches manhood, his powers shift-something darker begins to guide him. And after a long-buried secret surfaces, the empire that once offered refuge may become a battlefield.