Kris Longknife is a daughter of privilege, born to money and power. Her father is the Prime Minister of her home planet, her mother the consummate politician€s wife. She€s been raised only to be beautiful and to marry well. But the heritage of the military Longknifes courses through Kris€s blood€"and, against her parents€ objections, she enlists in the marines.
She has a lot to live up to and a lot to prove in the long-running struggle between her powerful family, a highly defensive€"and offensive€"Earth, and the hundreds of warring colonies. And then an ill-conceived attack brings the war close to home, putting Kris€s life on the line. Now she has only one choice: certain death on the front lines of rim space€"or mutiny...