Nine years after her clan was almost obliterated and her sister disappeared, Brede, is unwillingly and unhappily living in the marshes. The sudden ending of a decade-long drought brings with it rumours that the rain was bought at the price of a King’s head and the Dowry Blade, the sword needed for such a sacrifice, is missing.
The arrival of Tegan, a wounded mercenary, brings even more questions. After a series of discoveries and revelations about the Dowry Blade, Tegan and Brede begin their journey to the capital in search of Brede’s sister.