Cordelia, Dowager Countess Vorkosigan and Vicereine of Sergiar, does not intend to devote her life only to mourning her loved one and the work that drowns out this grief. She is going to radically change her life and direct her inexhaustible energy in a different direction. On the contrary, Admiral Joel’s career is going uphill straight and smooth. The young officer, whose intelligence Miles had once envied and whose looks Ivan had once envied, by the age of fifty had become a brilliant commander in the responsible position of head of the planetary fleet. Fate offers him several gifts at once - and only one pair of hands to hold them. Will Cordelia succeed in her plans - and what path will her longtime friend choose?