 The novel takes place in the early ninth century, beginning ten years after the conclusion of "Saint Camber".The plot of the novel centers on the desperate efforts of the Deryni to protect their futures from a rising tide of human anger and discrimination.As the health of aging King Cinhil Haldane begins to fail, a small group of powerful Deryni struggle to save their race from the deadly plots of Cinhil's ambitious nobles.