Years of gruelling war against the New Spartan rebels have left the Agamede clan of Mars on the verge of ruin. Ares, Primarch of Mars, has abandoned the Agamede for their weakness. The clan’s only hope is to subjugate themselves to Aphrodite’s emissary from Venus. But when Ducalion arrives from New Sparta with an offer of peace, the clan must decide between survival and honour.