King Severn Argentine is surrounded by ominous glory: usurped the throne, ruined direct heirs, does not spare dissidents. The Duke of Quiscaddon decided to oppose the king and lost. Now the Duke of Quiscaddon is forced to send his youngest son Owen to the king's palace as a hostage. The life of his son will depend on the loyalty of his father. Trying to make friends and elude Severn's ubiquitous spies, Owen learns to survive at court. But when new evidence of his father's guilt emerges, which threatens Owen with death, Owen has no choice but to win the king's favor - in any, even the most ridiculous way. And only a single person can help Owen in his almost hopeless case: a mysterious woman hiding in a palace and wielding real power over life, death and rock.