The kingdom of Elesius is one of the last stable places on the dying planet Filgaia, now under the control of the self-serving Council of Elder Statesmen — who took power after the Princess Royal died in an accident and the king fell too ill to govern. Their enforcement arm is the Martial Guard, a mercenary force that operates without accountability, stealing from and brutalizing the people it claims to protect.
Into this comes Clarissa Arwin, a Drifter traveling with her adoptive brother Felius. They are in Elesius for one reason: to find Rupert Dandridge, the man who killed Clarissa's mother five years ago and took the powerful sword Iskender Bey. Rupert is the leader of the Martial Guard. Before Clarissa can get near him, she is mistaken for Alexia Lynn Elesius — the heir presumptive who died under suspicious circumstances a year before — by citizens desperate for the symbol she represents. She makes a choice: publicly claim to be Alexia and build a rebel movement called Chevalet Blanc to fight the Council and drive Rupert out of power.