Although the Word Bearers' attack on Calth and the subsequent Shadow Crusade on Ultramar are history, the border regions of Imperium Secundus have not yet been completely cleared. Sergeant Aeonid Thiel, on his way back to Macragge and stranded on the garrison planet of Oran, again upsets his superiors when he points out to them a gap in their defenses - the activity of traitor gangs in a certain area has increased, and several key listening posts have fallen silent. Leading a handful of rogue veterans and bearing the red mark of censure like a badge of honor, can Thiel uncover the truth behind the mysterious "Temple of Night"?