The Kingdom of Outremer was raised on sands steeped in the blood of war, and to war it is returning. The Sharai tribes, bitter and divided in defeat, have regrouped in their stronghold at Rhabat. They await the coming of the Ghost Walker, long-promised deliverer of their people. The Ghost Walker has indeed returned, but not to the Sharai. Marron is a former Ransomer from Outremer who does not yet fully understand what he has become. His companions know more about the power he now wields, and insist that his destiny lies with theirs in Rhabat. But their motives are far from united. Rudel seeks to prevent the coming war and save his mysterious homeland of Surayon; his daughter Elisande is pursuing a djinni's cryptic prophecies, as is Julianne, daughter of the King's Shadow. And Jemel, of the Sharai but now sworn tribeless, has his own reasons for bringing the Ghost Walker home to his people. One thing is certain: whoever controls the Ghost Walker controls the future of Outremer. But Marron has a will of his own . . .