Born a commoner, Karniel has had to fight his way, claw, tooth, and nail, to a better place. Now, with a chance to join the Fire Brand Army, he doesn't hesitate. Unfortunately, several noble heirs are jealous of his skills. In spite of their plots, Karniel rises through the ranks, advancing faster than any other new recruits. Despite his humility, several of his noble peers still see him as an outsider and do everything in their power to disgrace him.

Sick of Karniel's continued growing prestige, his jealous noble peers settle on finding ways to get the interloper expelled from the army. Unaware of others' plans, these nobles set to strike on the Trail of Tears, setting a chain reaction of events that no one will be able to recover from.