In a city that runs on traded favors, precisely-applied violence, flirtation, and large amounts of tea, House Gaurjo is in charge. Professional heroine Tinsa Gaurjo's only hope of cleaning up her family's corruption lies in becoming the next Housemaster. That means currying favor with her elders, and keeping her nose clean. But now the current Housemaster Gaurjo has asked her to investigate a double murder, and the odds that nothing fishy is going on seem slim to none. Sure enough, the city's rumor mill is quick to provide a convenient main suspect: Biaili Erdai, owner of a local casino and an ex-courtesan. Guilty or not, he's annoyingly entertaining, and his interest in Tinsa obviously goes beyond clearing his name. He could be serious-or he could be trying to distract her. Either way, he's the last man a would-be Housemaster should have anything to do with. But when her quest to find the truth unravels a family secret that puts her own life on the line, Tinsa will have to accept her unlikely ally if she wants to survive the winter. Because ambition means nothing if you're dead...or alone.