As his bleoved Kahlan lies near death, Richard Rahl is confrionted by a vision that bears a terrible price. It would mean taking Kahlan away to safety while abandoning his people. As savage hordes prepare to invade their homeland, Richard and kahlan's devotion is imperiled in the fury of war. Amid the turmoil, Nicci, a woman from Richard's past, is haunted by her memory of him, and her burning passion to destroy him commits her to the unthinkable....