In a world of treason and betrayal, an unlikely pair shines through to dig deep into the mysteries of their enigmatic government. Belyra, a young Eurasian Eagle Owl, and her companion Mud, a Black Rat, team up and set out to venture far from their civilized society, deep into the domain of the Grand Tribe. They are a powerful congregation of religious outcasts, drawn away from society for so long some have begun to devolve into what they were before the revolution; uneducated, illiterate, feral beasts without the mere ability to speak. Though Belyra is out to discover where she truly belongs in this world, she will find out something so dire and shocking it just may lead to a new revolution.