In two weeks in April, a warming trend between the Peninsular Republic and the United States is jeopardized by a clumsy diplomat. Eden Gorski and the Army of the Republic face a crisis along the southern border. Meanwhile, two of the characters from the earlier books find themselves drawn to each other in a coming-of-age thread. Full of the author's trademark wry humor and knife-sharp grasp of his characters' personalities, this book brings the Republic and its people to life once again.