In the time of the Ak Ghana Tonoguru, the once untested ruler of the land of Ne Varii, civil war had erupted when he sought to take control of the nation. Thandie is a young girl, a refugee tossed loose in that storm of ambition and strife, who has become a low-status worker at a roadside inn.  Jahmelo is the second son of a second wife, whose father makes his bid for the throne of Tonoguru. The Freelancer Niagewyo leads his band of mercenaries, joining first one ambitious noble's side.  And the woman Whiyayul wanders this land, in her guise as a minor person of status. These and others are the ones who seek out a 'better situation for themselves, their cause, and their world.