Cassian is the empress's personal knight, appointed by the Council under the guise of a reward for his late father's merits, but in reality serving as an instrument of control over the young ruler. Cold, taciturn, and outwardly flawless in his devotion to duty, he conceals behind the mask of a disciplined warrior an obsession with the woman he serves — an obsession that took root in childhood and over the years grew into something bordering on fanaticism.