After the shocking revelation that Oak is the heir to the crown of Faerie, Jude must keep her brother safe. To do so, she has "bound" the hard-hearted King Cardan to her and has become the power behind the throne. Managing the ever-changing political alliances would be difficult even if she could easily control Cardan. But he does everything in his power to humiliate and undermine her, even though he seems to admire her.

When it becomes clear that someone close to Jude wants to betray her, threatening her life and the lives of those she loves, she must uncover the traitor and battle her own complex feelings to maintain control as a mortal in a world of faeries.