The Volodarid dynasty has reigned over the harsh steppes of Rostogov for four strife-ridden generations. Regicide and civil war have become almost as regular an occurrence as the deadly winters that sheath the land in snow and ice for much of the year.

Serafima Vladekovna is the latest scion of her line to sit upon the throne in the great fortress city of Dalgorod, but her cousins have yet to set aside their own ambitions. When she is forced to rely on their military support to protect Rostogov’s frontier from invasion, she finds herself even more vulnerable to their schemes.

After a mysterious assassination attempt leaves Serafima’s body crippled and her mind trapped in a timeless netherworld, the strongest of her cousins, Kirill Voisilovich, moves to claim the throne for himself, no matter the cost. As the freezing winter draws nearer, the fate of Rostogov rests in the hands of Gerasim Makarovich, an inexperienced soldier who has taken command of Serafima’s battered army in a desperate attempt to defend the walls of Dalgorod.