Taba's idyllic childhood in the Golden City of Ripa is abruptly ended when her cousin, the Princess Leona, is pronounced an Oracle of the great god Bel - her body and soul forever sacred to the god, and Him alone. But worse is to come when the warrior King Cyrus invades their peaceful, bustling city. Left in the hands of the king's elder son, Smerdis, the city - although forever altered - resumes its relatively peaceful existence. Taba is able to wed her childhood sweetheart, Tomas, and starts to dream again of a bright future together. Leona, however, becomes unwisely tangled with Smerdis. An offence against Bel which could provoke His righteous wrath on the city and a decision that even her own kin would consider a death warrant. Leona's mistake threatens not only her own life but will set off a chain of calamitous events that will decimate her own family and cause Taba to flee in a deadly and desperate bid to save the life of a child who is destined to become King. Can even the Goddess save them now?