Lance alto Gregor from the House of the Crimson Rose, the greatest minstrel magician in the twelve powers, comes at the invitation of the Duke of Arkayl to play at the autumn ball. There he accidentally meets Renalla from the House of the Yellow Moon and falls in love. Right there at the ball, Lance starts a quarrel with the son of the envoy of the Brakkar Islands and kills him the next morning in a duel, despite the fact that influential people insisted that Lance lose. The minstrel is forced to flee from Arkayle wearing whatever he was wearing, because even the magic of his music will not protect him from the executioner’s ax...