It's been eighteen years since Shadow Silverhorn conquered Nevaharday and claimed its throne. Renaming the kingdom Velagray, he turned the once thriving city into a militaristic prison that's snuffing out what few freedoms the horse-centric race called "rahee" have left.
Poor, terrorized, and miserable, the rahee yearn for their former prince who died while defending the throne, or so they thought. The truth is their beloved royal has been living under the alias of a rogue named Jaspur Clovenhoof. Moving freely under his false identity, Jaspur has been secretly collaborating with a legendary tribe known as the re'shahna to find a way to unseat his usurper, but it's a strained effort. Laden with guilt over the failures that led to his kingdom's downfall, the rogue suffers from nightmares spurred by his mistakes until allies wonder whether he's still capable of becoming the savior they need.
Yet not all of his haunting reminders are just memories. When Jaspur stumbles upon an old, familiar journal, he finds that one ghost in his dreams-his cousin, Rayhan-is real. Rayhan reaches out to Jaspur through visions from beyond the grave in attempt to remind him of the teachings he once held dear, but the rogue is stubborn. He continues to choose anger over forgiveness until it seems his guilt will consume him.
It isn't until a gypsy named Melah is marked as a target that the rogue finds the purpose he needs to come out of hiding. With her magical talents in King Shadow's hands, Jaspur realizes he must let go of the past and find the courage to be his people's hero once again, whether he's ready or not.