The long reign of the regent of the heir to the Tigerd Duchy has finally ended. The high-born Laird Darvel is happily married and crowned. But as it turned out, not all the inhabitants of the valley were as happy with the young ruler as his devoted friends. Some noble lairds had long had their own plans for the ducal throne, and no one was going to give up on them. But the duke turned out to be not as simple as his enemies believed, who prepared the most powerful weapon for the decisive battle. Who will win the victory, and will the young duke be ready to ransom it at the cost of the lives of dozens of hostages?