Moira, beautiful but severely burned, remains in Colorado trying to pull together the pieces of her life. Odessa and her husband are rebuilding their ranch. And Nic, the prodigal son, is slowly making his way home-- dead broke and haunted by unmet promises.

The story of Anastasius, a young woman who disguises herself as a eunuch in order to prove her brother innocent of a crime she knows he didn't commit. With the threat of the next Christian crusade looming, thirteenth-century Constantinople comes alive. Meanwhile, Anastasius works her way through each level of the city--from her humble neighbors to the emperor himself--seeking to uncover the truth.