Detan Honding and his best friend Tibs turn up on the streets of the desert city of Aransa with a dire problem: they have forgotten to get Detan's aunt a birthday present. It wouldn't be such a big deal, but his aunt is the matriarch of the family and controls his purse strings. She's cut him off, and his counterfeit coin will only get him so far. Desperate to get back in his aunt's good graces, Detan seeks a gift that money can't buy, but sharp wits just might be able to steal away. He sets his sights on the well-to-do family Erst, but little does he know the daughter of the household has found a perfect tool in Detan for her own plans.

Detan Honding, a wanted conman of noble birth and ignoble tongue, has found himself in the oasis city of Aransa. He and his trusted companion Tibs may have pulled off one too many cons against the city’s elite and need to make a quick escape. They set their sights on their biggest heist yet—the gorgeous airship of the exiled commodore Thratia. But in the middle of his scheme, a face changer known as a doppel starts murdering key members of Aransa’s government. The sudden paranoia makes Detan’s plans of stealing Thratia’s ship that much harder. And with this sudden power vacuum, Thratia can solidify her power and wreak havoc against the Empire. But the doppel isn’t working for Thratia and has her own intentions. Did Detan accidentally walk into a revolution and a crusade? He has to be careful—there’s a reason most people think he’s dead. And if his dangerous secret gets revealed, he has a lot more to worry about than a stolen airship.

As the city that produces the most selium - that precious gas that elevates airships and powers strange magic - Hond Steading is a jewel worth stealing. To shore up the city's defenses, Detan promises his aunt that he'll recover Nouli, the infamous engineer who built the century gates that protect the imperial capital of Valathea. But Nouli is imprisoned on the Remnant Isles, an impervious island prison run by the empire, and it's Detan's fault. Detan doesn't dare approach Nouli himself, so his companions volunteer to get themselves locked up to make contact with Nouli and convince him to help. Now Detan has to break them all out of prison, and he's going to need the help of a half-mad doppel to do it.

Detan Honding is determined to survive this war, even when caught between not one but two besieging armies! After rescuing the renowned engineer Nouli from the clutches of the empire, the valiant rogue has returned to his aunt's city to find it under siege by Thratia's army. With Nouli's help, they manage to turn back the tide, at least until imperial forces descend, prepared to hammer the Thratian force against the anvil of the city's walls. Worse yet, the imperial advance is aided by an elite force of dark magicians. His aunt is forced to forge an uneasy alliance with Thratia to keep the city from falling back under imperial control but Detan's wary. While Thratia and his aunt bring their forces to bear against the new threat, Detan puts his own plans into motion to ensure that when the final blow is dealt, Thratia and her army will find themselves on the other side of the city's walls.