Alec has been the most powerful man in two great nations -- the Dominion and the Michian Empire. But one day he awakens in a small boat adrift in an empty sea; he has no memory, no understanding of his abilities, no recognition of the world around him. When a fishing vessel picks him up, he doesn't even speak the same language. By the time the former ruler is put on land, he knows only a few words of the Avonellene language, and he has no purpose in life. But a runaway wagon, criminally hijacked in front of him, spurs him to leap to the aid of the wagon-driver and his daughter, leading to adventures in Vincennes, the capital of the Avonellene Empire, and throughout a number of locations in the widespread lands of the empire. With an accidentally stolen treasure on their hands, Alec and his adopted "sister" Bethany try to create a new life in Great Vincennes, the teeming metropolis that is the capital of the Empire, home to the imperial palace. They hope that they can use Vincennes to hide in as Bethany hones her swordsmanship so that she can become a guard in the fortress city Black Crag, a mountain fastness far away, where women are treated as equals. But their treasure attracts attention, and then a political upheaval in Vincennes brings danger, separation, and a desparate race to try to reunite in Black Crag, requiring a dangerous trip through the mountains in the dead of winter.