After Gué-de-Negoce's fiasco, Fitz was able to save his skin by a narrow margin. Alone, abandoned by his wolf, and despite his desire to join Molly and his daughter, he joined a caravan that would take him a little closer to his imperial goal: Truth, his king, calls him through Art. The long journey allows him to meet the menestral Asteria Chant-d'Oiseau, a curious young woman who wants to be a witness to history to make songs... and who knows much more than one could believe about Fitz!