Two years after escaping his solitary life on Naucritus, Aletes is having trouble settling into his new life on Sesklos. Things only get worse when he loses the girl he loves, then the trust of his best friend. In an impossible position, he sails for Cocalus on the mainland, to work out his next move. Beside him is the firebrand Caria. In the mad society awaiting them in the big city, she'll become the second great love of his life.
At the same time Skyrios, the uncle who died at his hands, is reborn as a Golgo. For months he exists in torment deep below the Earth, in the sick glow of Chem's Eye, until one day he escapes for good, to walk the Earth by day and seek revenge on those who sent him to Hell. His first target: Sesklos.
Meanwhile, in Cocalus, Aletes' life falls apart. He's hit rock bottom, demoralized and wasted, when he hears dire news about his home. To save his friends, he'll need to re-cross the bent sea...