Two years ago, Aaralyn ran for his life, leaving behind everything he'd ever known and risking brutal torture and execution if he was caught. Taking the first ship that would accept what little money he had, he fled Havarin on a fragile hope that where he landed would be better. Now, settled in Tavamara, he lives a life he could only dream of as a private bookbinder for a highly respected noblewoman. He lives in the royal palace, he never has to worry about going hungry, can draw and read and simply exist as he wants. Even the few nobles who occasionally bother him are nothing compared to his tormentors back in Havarin. Despite living the kind of life he once could only dream of, Aaralyn cannot help but pine for the that the beautiful, compelling, highly respected Crown Prince Bakhtiar might somehow notice an ugly, unremarkable Havarin runaway amidst a palace full of perfect beauties.