The Imperial Order is bearing down upon the free world threatening slavery under the guise of good for all mankind. This is the crucial time to stop the hordes from ravaging all free people but Richard will not lead them into this battle. AS Kahlan lays barey alive, he has had a vision so clear that he must withdraw and not lead. He has shown his commitment to freedom time and against, yet people have not earned his leadership. He retreats to a mountain haven to let Kahlan recover and to stay clear of the war. What he doesn't know is that the war will find him anyway when a shadow from his past comes to take him away.
Sister Nicci has been haunted ever since meeting Richard, and now she will claim her prize. She takes Richard away to the Old World to show him how common men live, and to find out what powerful "secret" Richard holds in his eyes.