A prince kidnapped, an old man murdered, a mysterious box hidden... Aliens in the Rift Nebula gather ready to invade and destroy the empire; while the Banished, dead noblemen and women who have escaped time assassination, endanger stability on the home worlds. These dramatic events unfold in the empire around three young princes: Calanus, Leonidas, and Ja'din. Events which threaten to not only tear the normalcy of their lives apart, but with the very real prospect of death as certain factions struggle for power around them. Little do they know that the choices they make will influence the galaxy's future forever...