Layla knew those beautiful, glimmering opals would be trouble. She just didn't know how much trouble. She wants to lead a quiet life in lssrandar, leaving Gods, politics, and gem-thievery behind, but life won't let her. Arakante, her sometime lover, unexpectedly appears. He tells her that her friend and teacher, Firousi, has been kidnaped by the priests of Sarinsat. Then, Layla is framed for a theft she didn't commit!

To save Firousi, Layla must travel to The Ngarra where little children have knives and the roses have poisonous thorns. She must go to the Overworld, which she'd sworn never to visit again, on a mission she did not want: to steal a magical protective charm for her worst enemies.

How can she avoid helping her foes to hurt her friends?