Two and a half years have passed since Kensington confronted his son Alex in Saint Peter s Cathedral, Wellington, New Zealand. Alex has been studying at Victoria University, while the Prime Minister James Connor continues to lead the nation from the Beehive. Rachel Connor has been training to become a Physician, while her husband, John Robertson, remains in the Cathedral with Bishop Mark Blake. Tristan Blake has been watching Alex. Tristan sees the legacy of Alex s past: a past Alex seems to be trying to hide. What might become of him? Rau Petera remains on the shores of Oriental Bay, offering good news: but Tristan is watching. The nation has suffered an upheaval, and has settled in a kind of peace _ but Tristan is uneasy. Trouble is brewing overseas; trouble within. Kensington is taking a greater hold. Powers are rising: the world is at risk of war. What fate will beset the nation? What forces, in the midst of the growing darkness, will win?