As the Conclave prepares to confront the Russian renegade Grigori Volkonsky, Marguerite von Wittershiem has been shunted aside. Her husband and mentors hope to keep her out of danger by assigning her the unglamorous task of protecting the written lore of their people.

But their plans go awry when a traitor within the Conclave betrays them all to the enemy. As the most powerful vampires in Europe fall to Volkonsky’s minions, Marguerite must find not only the strength to stand alone but the ability to withstand the greatest threat that the hidden world of vampires has ever faced. If she fails, the immortal races and humanity will be destroyed.

In order to ward the Covenants as she has sworn, Marguerite must be prepared to defy them as well.

The German vampire Gunther von Wittersheim has a problem: he’s fallen in love with a mortal, Lady Marguerite Giffard. His greatest immortal enemy, Comte Alphonse de Brunel, knows, captures Marguerite and turns her into a vampire. Gunther must put aside his desire for revenge and help his beloved through the painful transition to immortality.

Vampires are bound by the Covenants, a code of law enforced by the mysterious Conclave of Elders. If Gunther kills his enemy, the Conclave will destroy him. The couple is ordered to bring de Brunel alive to the Conclave to answer for his crimes. Gunther and Marguerite pursue their foe to St. Petersburg, where they are caught up in a revolution that pits vampire against vampire. Can they find a way to capture Alphonse de Brunel before the violence in Russia erupts? Or will they and their love fall prey to the breaking of the Covenants?