With no brothers to carry out her father's legacy, Sh'mira, the maimed daughter of a prosperous farmer, must marry a man willing to leave his home. However, the only one who does not scorn her disfigurement is Ariel, her father's bondservant. In exchange for his freedom, Ariel's master offers him Sh'mira as a bride and the rights of a firstborn son, but the former Commander of the Temple Guard cannot accept the honor. He's bound by a vow to protect Judah's future king from the child's murderous grandmother, but when the queen's guard attacks the tiny village he's been hiding in he finds he cannot leave his master's daughter.