After young James the Third's accession to the Scottish throne, the ambitious Boyd family of Kilmarnock seized power in a bloodless coup. Mary Stewart, James' eldest sister, was at first unwilling to marry Thomas Boyd, future Earl of Arran - but she had no choice. Eventually, however, she learned to love him, and when he was sent to the Danish court to negotiate with King Christian, she discovered a unique talent for diplomacy. In exchange for Princess Margaret of Denmark marrying her brother, Princess Mary at length persuaded the Danes to hand over the islands of Orkney and Shetland to Scottish dominion. But when the fortunes of the all-powerful Boyd family took a turn for the worse, Mary was to find herself in an extremely awkward and dangerous position...

The second in the Mary Stewart trilogy and a sequel to PRICE OF A PRINCESS, in which a feeble monarch, James III proves to be a disaster for Scotland, as clan feuds come to a head.