Her kingdom is in ashes. Her crown is worth even less. Her betrothed is promised to another. But this princess is determined to reclaim it all. On her seventeenth birthday, Princess Maleen's future couldn't be brighter. Despite the loss of her parents at a young age and her controlling uncle's constant paranoia, Maleen is on the cusp of everything she ever dreamed of. Her people adore her. Her coronation is only seven years away. And best of all, her childhood sweetheart, Prince Roburts, has proposed. Their two kingdoms, which have always had an uneasy relationship, will be united in peace for the first time since becoming sovereign nations of their own. Unfortunately, this is more than her uncle can abide. Angered by her betrothal, he locks her in a tower in hopes that she'll have come to her senses in seven years' time when she comes of age to ascend the throne. For seven years, Maleen tries to escape, expecting at any minute that her beloved will break down the door. But when seven years come and go, she realizes that escape is up to her if she ever wishes to see the sun again. Upon breaking out of the tower, however, she quickly finds that getting out was the easy part. War and death have torn the two kingdoms apart. And an even worse fate is awaiting her people and her beloved if she can't find a way to muster her courage one more time.