The man who spared his life and stopped a war, is missing. His wife's father hates him. His son resents him. He has an alien delegation on his doorstep. It is his first year as the Thirteenth Dragonhorse, and he still cannot fathom how he got to be the most powerful single entity in the known galaxy. He has more questions than answers, but he knows that the fate of millions of people hangs on what he chooses to do next.