Princess Danaria, heir to the throne of one of the Nine Kingdoms in the Empire, is an accomplished fighter who likes to sneak out to duel in the taverns. She pushes her luck and loses to a Tu'atha, one of the Emperor's elite, and has to serve for one year as his servant. When they return to speak to her father, they learn she has been declared dead. Together, they uncover a plot to undermine not only the kingdom, but the entire Empire.