Prince Harlan ascends the throne of Larkhall when his father falls beside him as they fight to save a village from a horde of northerners. Harlan instantly inherits the invasion and its imminent siege of his castle; meanwhile his kingdom is disintegrating from a blight which swallows entire farms and will starve his people even if they repel the siege.
The legends of Larkhall contend that a king might stop the blight by descending into a complex of tunnels in a crater at its heart. Harlan must decide whether to ignore the ruthless northern army and journey into the caverns, or else watch his farmland turn to ash. He has help from his capable sister Calandra, his mother Rowena, and his weather-changing great uncle Orovein; but his cousin Amira -- ambitious, brave, and desperate -- will exploit any misstep.
Harlan has the chronicles and lore of his ancestors, too, who have fought for centuries for their kingdom and its people; but none has stopped the blight or withstood an army like the one outside the gates of Larkhall.