Aaron Piscar, youngest son of Ellio Piscar, ruler of Elktan, is desperate to celebrate the End of Cycle. However, his father isn't so keen. In fact, his father has effectively forbidden him from leaving the citadel as he is worried his son will be attacked. Aaron and Ellio get into a very one-sided battle, which is considered treason, and Aaron ends up running away from home with his best friends, Mylious and Clarence, with his older brother, Erik, close behind. They run away to Colran, where things seem much different, and Aaron has to confront how he feels about his father and how he rules Elktan with an iron fist.