It was supposed to be just another exercise-a Star of light 'Mechs against one assault 'Mech. Jackson is a ristar cadet in Clan Smoke Jaguar, renowned-and envied-for never losing a battle. The five cadets beneath him in the rankings plan to hand him his first defeat. But the training goes terribly wrong, and before the day is over, there are winners and losers-and one cadet will not survive the day.

That training exercise sets in motion a chain of actions that encompasses both events that occurred decades earlier, and those yet to come. Now a full MechWarrior, Star Captain Jackson searches for answers-both about his past, and what had happened that fateful day. But what he learns are secrets that threaten to upend his entire life-and make him reconsider what it means to be a Smoke Jaguar...