Synopsis: “A year after escaping from certain death in a Tephos prison, Volle finds himself in self-imposed exile on a farm in Ferrenis with Streak, the white wolf who helped him escape. When a letter arrives from Volle's friend Tish urging him to return to Tephos to defend his honor against the charges of espionage that landed him in prison, Volle gives in to the excitement and intrigue of a noble's life and returns to face his accusers. He is soon enmeshed in a web of murder and intrigue set in motion by his longtime enemy Dereath Talison, endangering him and his friends. To regain the life and status he wishes for without losing the love he has, Volle must confront some unpleasant truths about himself and those closest to him, and solve a mystery that reaches far beyond a dead body, into the reaches of the heart.” (publisher's synopsis)