Master Trader Er Thom yos'Galan, of Liad's de facto ruling house, Clan Korval, is facing an arranged marriage. The Liaden Code of Proper Conduct requires him to provide a 'child of the body' to the Clan, something the otherwise obedient pilot has been avoiding. As his contract marriage approaches, the serious-minded trader finds himself longing for a lover he hasn't seen for years.

She was no ordinary pleasure love: she's Terran professor of linguistics Anne Davis, who teaches on the planet University and whose radical theories have brought her to the attention of the Liaden Council of Clans, where Korval's enemies openly plot against her--and against Korval itself.

Er Thom must overcome not only Liad's rigid social strictures, but also the plots of Korval's enemies--and his lover's stubborn heart.