Plantagenet was once a peaceful planet, with its seven independent islands governed by the principles of democracy and freedom for all. But when one dictator comes to power, the peace of the other island colonies is destroyed. Only the Isle of Mirth is marginally spared from Dictator Akko's tyranny on the Island of Etalon, but their freedom comes at a price. All the young men of Mirth have disappeared in the war, and the young girls are ordered to marry the men that remain by order of proclamation of the High Council - no matter how much older those men may be. Henceforth, Mirth is to be called the Isle of Grief. Laura Green is forced to marry the wealthiest and most ingenious of the council members, but she refuses his entreaties for love. When the young soldier Christopher comes into her life, the truth of what really happened to Mirth's young men is revealed, and a plot unfurls to reclaim the young soldiers that perhaps never perished in the War at all. Christopher and Laura work together to pull off one of the most unlikely and challenging rebellions in the history of Plantagenet, but thanks to the help of the women of Mirth - trained to be soldiers and shipbuilders - they just might overtake Akko, overthrow the council, and restore the peace and freedom that they once knew. Looming above the whole tale, with its deadly battles, deceit, redemption, love lost and love found, there is an entire untapped galaxy that only Laura is smart enough to explore with her mind, and her heart.