In the sixth installment of the Bell Mountain Series, God's judgment hangs over the great city of Obann; but in the endless maze of halls and corridors and offices inside the Palace, power-hungry men enter into secret dealings with Obann's archenemy, the Thunder King.

Queen Gurun and the boy who doubles for King Ryons; Jack, kidnapped from his home and forced to serve the traitors plotting against the rightful king; and a new lord of Obann's Temple, bearing a weapon with unthinkable powers of destruction... All are converging on the Palace.

For the first time in two thousand years, Obann will have a Coronation Day, and a king will wear his crown. But it is not the plotters' intention that he shall wear it for long.