(From the back cover) The Overking of Harbaal thinks Chelemby is part of his realm; most Chelembians disagree. Comfortable in their island, their ships ply the known world, push back the margins of the unknown and cradle their dreams on the rocking seas. No folk are more laden with treasure. Yet the 'Jewel Isle' has its worries: devious intrigues, unscrupulus pirates, feuding clans, and a crown hoping to be more than the 'first among equals'. The price of wealth in the wide and jealous world is vigilance.