Family murdered, home destroyed, young Shekrah is forced to flee her beloved land of Malia. Once the land of her father, King Markus, it has become a place of terror and ruin, crushed by the invading armies of a tyrannical empire. Escaping with nothing but her barren life, she passes through the icy mountains, emerging into the peaceful kingdom of Durian. Here she spends years, past forgotten, thinking herself free. But when a rumor emerges of a possible attack, Shekrah finds herself returning to Malia, the nightmarish land of which she is rightfully queen.

Unexpectedly teaming up with Torian, the tenacious prince of Durian, they try to prepare the kingdom for its defense while narrowly escaping their own deaths and attempting to avoid capture. Armies build, nightmares return, warriors invade, and Shekrah tries to reconcile her past while helping Torian with the present, all in preparation for the war with the fiercest empire ever known.