Outremer-a harsh and barren kingdom born of blood and at war with the world around it. For forty years, the Order of the Knights Ransomer has been the sword-arm and conscience of the kingdom. Their stronghold, the Roq de Rançon, is the key to Outremer's defence. But nomadic tribes on the kingdom's borders threaten to reclaim this land that was once theirs. Marron, a young man training to be a Ransomer, and Julianne, a noble-born girl betrothed to a man she's never met, are journeying to the Roq. There each of them will be put to the test, as they become inextricably bound up in the coming upheaval that will decide the fate of Outremer.