In the city-state of Aletheia, at war with its neighboring empire, Lora struggles to find her place among her own clan, all sailors. One night, the powerful magician Équinoxe reveals a terrible secret: her mother conceived her with a slave from the empire.
Elected to the Assembly, Lora gives up Nemos, her childhood sweetheart, to defend the interests of her clan. But a greater danger threatens the city: the magicians, who draw their powers from their knowledge of human secrets, are waging a merciless battle in the shadows...