In the city-state of Landen, Prince Rhys prepares to marry the enigmatic Lady Maia, a woman who mysteriously arrived on shore months before, only to have her stolen away on their wedding day by a dragon-like Layan creature that denounces their union as an abomination. Imprisoned by his own father for recklessly planning to wage war against the last Layan bloodlines, Rhys escapes with help from an unlikely ally and embarks on a perilous quest across a war-torn world to reclaim his bride. Along the way, he unearths artifacts from an ancient conflict, forges unexpected partnerships, and gradually uncovers truths that challenge everything he believes about his world and its troubled past. The struggle continues through his descendants, who inherit both his mission and the burden of learning that history itself may be far darker and more complicated than legend suggests.