When a dead body is found in the royal box of her sorcerous theater, Mage Nevis Conarkin is shocked to realize that she's being framed for murder. Although Nevis cannot provide an alibi to prove her innocence, she apparently has a motive to have stabbed the corpse. While struggling to uncover the true villain, with the help of her flamboyant friend who operates the local brothel, Nevis unhappily finds the evidence pointing to one of her actors.
In the midst of the murder investigation, Nevis dives into the chaos of rehearsals for the opening night of a play she detests. The script commemorates her successful defeat of a renegade mage, her personal friend, and his plot to allow an invasion by Cashogi foreigners. Hating to be in the spotlight and wishing to avoid the sad memories engendered by the play, Nevis is unable to convince Devlin Graham, the monarch and Nevis' lover, to cancel the performance. And so the rehearsals-fraught with touchy actors, frazzled stage crew, dangerous incidents, and interruptions from the hard-nosed constable-move forward.