When the infant Marquis of Almeida is pronounced dead, the kingdoms of Wellingtonsland and Angria are deprived of their heir. Anxious to secure the nations' future security, King Zamorna's advisers entreat him to name his successor—and when Zamorna himself succumbs to a mysterious, life-threatening sickness, the need becomes more urgent still. Yet Zamorna remains strangely unperturbed. Confusion turns to political intrigue as those closest to him wonder exactly what it is he knows and who, precisely, are the mysterious characters surrounding him.