All of Sharud is singing about a man in a hood. He could be a hero - if he wasn't so determined to destroy himself. Robb Locke is doing his best to hit bottom, and even his childhood friends Ged Gizabon and Marah Madan can't help. Explosions, riots, political unrest, assassination, and the threat of starvation are still swirling through the entire system. And now the Parl Regent Jun Planetagen's flagship has entered orbit for the First Harvest Fete. Jun has plans of his own, especially for Marah - and those plans are murderous indeed. The war is over, but and "peace and " is always a relative term...