The story begins with the tolling of the huge bell in the watchtower of Kronengred, calling all the citizens to begin their day.

Being poor, an orphan, and at the beck and call of a cruel guardian makes Willadene dread the day. As was common in towns of the Middle Ages in Europe, the castle of the Duke overshadows all in Kronengred. The Duke also overshadows the people, ruling through his Reeves and their guards in the sectors of the walled town. Commerce keeps the town humming. The common people live by the rules made by the Duke; the privileged live by a different code. Magic and superstition rule all. This is also a world of few machines, where everything moves slowly.

The Duke rules by right of birth. The law forbids a female ruler, and this Duke has come to the throne when the plague killed all...