Far to the north of the hot desert land of Telfar lies the frozen kingdom of Sorvinka. Prince Amir has traveled there, leaving his sultanate in the hands of his half-brother Erik as he seeks to ask the king, the father of the beautiful Princess Eva, for her hand in marriage.
But Sorvinka has grown dangerous during Princess Eva's absence, as she and Amir discover to their terror when their force of guards and eunuchs is cut down by ruthless brigands. And upon their arrival, their welcome to Eva's family stronghold is as bitterly cold as the land itself.
Accustomed to the golden cage of his upbringing, Prince Amir must navigate his way through the strange and coldblooded customs of the Sorvinkans. He must withstand the bitter amenities of castle life and the brutal pecking order of Sorvinkan nobility, in order to survive, and somehow he must find the truth behind the kidnapping of the king's youngest daughter, the Princess Aurora, by the Sorvinkan's traditional enemies, the neighboring Farrellians.