Sixteen-year-old Silvermay Hawker feels drawn to the newcomer in her village - a young man of solemn good looks named Tamlyn. But only heartache can come of this, because Tamlyn is devoted to Nerigold and to little Lucien, her son. So things seem, until the dark forces of Coyle Strongbow come in search of Nerigold's baby and Silvermay is swept up in the young family's escape. When Lucien is entrusted to her care, she discovers the startling horror of what he might become, and the truth about Tamlyn, too. Can Lucien be spared his fate, or is he doomed to become like Coyle? And Tamlyn, can he be trusted, can he be loved and can he love in return? Silvermay's heart will not give him up, but what happens when devotion becomes a weapon in the hands of the ruthless?.