Nine years after the loss of her sister, and near obliteration of her clan in an ill conceived raid, Brede, a plains' nomad, is living unwillingly in the marshes. The sudden ending of a decade long drought, brings with it many changes; rumour has it that the rain was bought at the price of a King's head, and the sword needed for such a sacrifice is missing.

Change comes for Brede in the arrival of Tegan, a wounded mercenary.

Brede's discovery, first of the Dowry Blade and a stolen horse, and then of Tegan's history, sets in train a journey to the capital in search of her missing sister and leads to an unexpected role in the Queen's household, and a powerful lover.