Young Kayleb Armack accomplished something that few people could dream of. Before he was thirty, he won some of the most crushing naval victories in human history. He defeated the hostile alliance of no less than five principalities and won the hand of the beautiful young Queen Charlienne of Chisholm. Kayleb and Charlien created the Cherisian Empire, the greatest naval force in Safehold's history, and turned Cheris into a haven for all who value freedom. Their success may be short-lived. The Church of the Waiting Lord, which controls most of Safehold, has decided to destroy them. The Mother Church's main goal is to prevent the things Cheris has dedicated herself to. Since the first attempt to crush the heretics failed, the Church has no choice but to adopt some of the hated Cherisian innovations itself. Soon a mighty fleet will set sail against Caileb, destroying everything in its path. But there are still some questions that the Church knows nothing about, such as Caileb's advisor, friend, and protector and Charlien - a mystical warrior monk named Merlin Atraves . Merlin knows all about fighting against impossible odds because he is actually the cybernetic avatar of a young woman named Nimue Alban who died almost a thousand years ago. During Nimue's time, Merlin saw the entire Terran Federation fall in fire and bloodshed at the hands of an enemy it could not defeat. He knows that Safehold is the last human planet in existence, and that the stagnation created by the Church to coerce it will be the death sentence of the human race if it continues. A juggernaut is bearing down on Cheris, but Merlin and a handful of prominent people stand in his way. The Church will have to learn how truly impressive the power of human freedom is.