On an island off Katanaë, a marriage between two powerful samurai clans turns to carnage... Two of Kitanaë's oldest lineages are about to forge an alliance capable of shaking the elven empire. Ynaë, the only heir of her clan, has always bent the echine. She has learned to suffer in silence, and she will marry the samurai imposed on her father. But behind the silks, incense and front smiles, guess the hidden stakes and hatred, as ancient as Ynuma herself, which will make everything fly in flames... In the empire, the chords are signed in blood.