The novel is centred on revenge, two men separated by completely different backgrounds, but forced together into fatal violence, their lives becoming entwined with the destiny of the kingdom. As the search for the thief Hemlock who brutally murdered Storm's wife intensifies, both men change. Storm is a sailor by trade, a simple man ignorant of swordplay and killing. Hemlock knows no other life not dominated by violence and greed. Storm's personality alters as he becomes accustomed to the art of bloodletting, and loses sight of what he was originally fighting for. Hemlock, a man driven close to insanity by the endless killing, is finally pushed over the edge as his search for absolute power destroys everything in his wake. The kingdom and its people will bear witness to their struggle and their fate will be decided by the winner.