When Kirill joined a diplomatic mission to investigate foreign magic, he didn't expect to fall in love. For Arika, the young magus offered an escape from an intolerable situation. Now, after ten years of married life on the run, their past is about to catch up with them...

Kirill and Arika run a trading wherry, braving the Blight to sail between the cities of the fenland nation of Vehn, trusting to the protection of the runes on the wherry when a Blight storm hits between harbours. The Blight dates back to the disastrous war with Akhavar, Vehn's continental neighbour. Ever since that time, there has been an uneasy peace between the countries, although Akhavar has had its own problems to deal with. Kirill and Arika don't think much about the past; they've got their hands full enough dealing with the present, with their two-year-old daughter and a succession of passengers, some more annoying than others. But their own histories are intimately entangled with their countries', and the long-delayed consequences of past decisions can't be evaded forever...