Years after Hidden City, not everyone is convinced that peace is possible. Battles in space are still common and people struggle to work through their differences. To prevent the strained peace treaties from falling apart, a new planet for prisoners is terraformed. While the planet is being prepared, all the prisoners are placed on a continent anxiously awaiting their fate where dangerous animals can tear through the prison's defenses. Calix became a dragon warrior to avoid shapeshifters who didn't consider him one of them. Now he is struggling to accept himself as a telepath. As a Hidden City warrior, he sees the conflicts in space and understands why Vastus and Carcer are necessary. Can Calix conquer his fears and find value in his new skills?

The National Guard is called in to quell a labor uprising in a small Pennsylvania mining town. When they arrive, the town is deserted, but the steel mill is running at full capacity. Uncounted atrocities await them within the factory; meanwhile, an unspeakable supernatural horror stirs from its slumber in the ground beneath the town.

Commander Sam Vimes must travel to the past to track down a murderer, teach his young self to be a copper, and change the outcome of a bloody rebellion.