Discovering that his Sheen lady has been sadistically killed, Kyre sets out to avenge her death, equally pitilessly.
But will the quarrelling members of the ruling Volko family allow him to have his own way in anything? Is the path he treads a defiant whim, or the destiny his star has chosen for him? Can he find which of the stars is his? Or is he – as all tell him – truly from The Pit?
The demands of the Rua Sisterhood mount up, and he has to find ways to satisfy them, while attempting to hold out against the massing enemies of the Lordlands realm – the rebellious provincial lords; the hill bandits; the increasingly erratic Lord Rogor; the secretly-building forces from neighbouring realms; and the rising tide of pirate raiders from the coastal lands.
With only his small troop of aristocratic guerilla fighters offering assistance, he attempts to master the skills of the Fireworkers – to use the blackpowders in fire-bombs, explosions and hurling projectiles – greatly against the laws of the realm, and the will of the lord.
Among the conflict, blood-soaked brutality and trauma, he finds fleeting comfort in the taverns; riding his forids; running and hunting with the hounds; and lying in the arms of a succession of lady-friends, casual bedmates, and Rua Sisters.
Is this enough to satisfy his own sensual, mental and emotional needs? Or to stave off the looming doom that surrounds the Lordlands? Or to discover whether his destiny is driven by The Pit, The Stars, or himself?