On the surface, the Circus of Dreams travels around the Continent of Eiliron entertaining the people of the seven kingdoms with their frivolity and sleights of hand. But beloved ringmaster and head puppeteer, Master Jeskil, is soon manipulating more than puppet strings when he is drawn into a wicked plot of greed and desire in the kingdom of Corraao. After years of marriage, the King and Queen of Hearts have no heir: a fact not lost on the Kings first counselor, Vikar Revin, who hears the courts gossips whispering in the shadows, forming factions of allegiance, and plotting treasonous schemes. At the heart of these conspiracies is the charming and ambitious Roxanna Talian of Feracia who has set her sights on replacing the Queen. In spite of the mounting evidence of malign influences from outside as well as within, Revin is determined to protect Corraao. With the help of his cousin Jeskil, and some wholly unexpected allies, Revin must find a way to thwart the enemies of the state and preserve whatever he can of the crippled Corraian monarchy. Magic, love, death, and intrigue beset the kingdom the effects of which ripple through for generations to come.