When a series of brutal attacks plagues the city of No-Gu, the ruling Oskell dispatch a veteran soldier, Mor ARU Mathiis, to find the religious zealot believed to be responsible. With two comrades who are at opposite ends of their careers and ideologies, the veteran delves into the culture where his adversary was raised. There he discovers the horrors of oppression, savage crimes perpetrated by the people he has spent his life defending. As the foundation of everything he has believed in begins to crumble, his relationships with three passionate women - a prostitute, a healer, and the Oskell empress, herself - provide guidance through his moral and physical struggles. Each confidant offers profound, but often conflicting, insights while promising the way to something he never thought possible, fulfillment. Parental Discretion is Advised