It's been three months since the Patriarche was beheaded, leaving behind no heir. From the outside, Laterre seems to be flourishing: General Bonnefaçon has cleaned up the streets, fed the hungry, and restored peace while the next leader is decided upon. But the Red Scar is killing anyone with a legitimate claim to the Regime, while the Vangarde and their freed leader are preparing to overthrow it. When it is revealed that the Patriarche had a child in secret, Alouette is interrogated on the whereabouts of this renegade grandson. Marcellus is unaware that he's being hunted by a determined new cyborg. And Chatine grows restless, living with a rebel group she doesn't fit into. Allegiances will shift, rebels will become leaders, and the tinderbox of Laterre will finally ignite.-- Adapted from jacket.