The Final Volume of the Fourth Seal Trilogy. The survivors of the disappearance have passed through a hard winter into a spring offering no respite. Catastrophe and disaster loom large. The new pharisees are discovering that not all dilemmas come with escape clauses or convenient ambiguities. Who will safely navigate the rocks and shoals that lie ahead - Lieutenant Irawell, shamed for surviving the loss of his ship when better men did not, discovering a growing anger directed mostly at himself. Captain Pride, moving forward undeterred by the calamities that mark the end times, confident in his abilities. Ensign Acedian, seeking the path of least resistance, unaware that the safest course can be the hardest to travel. Cadet Martha Pride, steadfast and true, and learning all too quickly that admiration can turn to disillusionment. Admiral Lezuria, willing to use evil for her own gain, undeterred by basic human decency. Or the General, weighing an uncertain truce knowing the cost of failure is too terrible to contemplate. One thing is certain: no innocents remain. "Come thick night, and pall thee in the dunnest smoke of hell, That my keen knife see not the wound it makes, Nor heaven peep through the blanket of the dark, To cry 'Hold hold!'"