1296 Scotland: In the village of Perthshire, Edyth Ruthven finds that life as the new mistress of the household is not as comfortable as she'd hoped. Rejected by her husband's people as an outsider with a dangerous reputation, Edyth struggles to make a place for herself amid the rampant rumors of her past. What's more, Edyth struggles to make sense of her nightmares, forewarning of a deadly event fast approaching. When her only friend and good sister Caitriona is forced into an arranged marriage, the full weight of a divided and prejudiced people falls upon her shoulders. Ewan, meanwhile, walks along the edge of a twin blade, forced to choose between loyalty to his own people or to embrace the English King. When a nefarious sheriff is appointed to their lands, the life the Ruthvens had hoped for unravels before their very eyes, leaving them in a tangle of wicked machinations set forth by the wicked sheriff.