Ansset has a secret that he has kept all of his life: a hidden mark. Told by his parents that it will be his death if it is discovered, he hides it from even his closest friends.
Through a chance encounter with an unlikely ally, Ansset learns that his mark designates his status as a member of the Mestari-the supernatural secret-society that rules both his homeland of Elef̱ther?a and its mortal enemy Tānāśāhi in an age old truce that is built around a competition simply called The Game.
In the company of his new mentor, Ansset must make the perilous journey to the capitol city, Aachen, to face three trials that will determine the course of his future.