Anchored in a fearsom past of tyrant rulers and black magic, Gleam is a fiefdom gripped in the clutches of its ruler, the Markgrave, who has crushed freedom and hope. An ancient prophect promises a bright new beginning for Gleam, but to destroy any chance of its being fulfilled, the Markgrave seeks the help of the Brotherhood, a mysterious order of scholars and practitioners of the dark arts. Into this menacing world comes a young woman, Johanna, and her brother, Tobias. Tobias' craving for power makes huim an unwitting pawn in the Brotherhood's evil. Johanna, meanwhile, is chosen to be the victim whose sacrifice will preserve the regime of he tyrant Markgrave. But Johana has two unlikely allies; a gentle musician and a runaway jester. To thwart the forces fathered against them, these three will desscent into a a darkness deeper than any they have ever known and discover resources of courage and invention they could not have imagined they possessed.