In a world no more than a whisper away from our own, the Islands of Grand Britannia have been reduced by the ancient Plague Wars to a land of deep forests and small cities, all governed by a powerful totalitarian Authority. Against a sinister backdrop of murder and repression, a rebellious pagan outpost seeks a hidden truth that will either unlock the past and restore reason to this world, or bring the dissenters to a tragic capitulation. Into the cauldron of intrigue and subterfuge that is the town and Academy of Petra comes Chad Mundy, the Authority's replacement for a veteran teacher who has committed suicide. At least, that is what he's been told... As he delves deeper into the secrets locked up in the claustrophobic world of the Academy, he draws the attention of the dissident pagans and the ruthless enforcer, Deadspike, and is caught up in a storm that unravels the treachery and deceits behind the Authority itself.