Richard, the ambitious third son of the House of York, believes he is cursed, damned from birth to eternal darkness. But is it truly fate that sets him on the path to personal destruction? Or his own tormented longings? Based on an early draft of Shakespeare's Richard III, Aya Kanno's dark fantasy finds the man who could be king standing between worlds, between classes, between good and evil.

An uprising draws King Edward, with Richard at his side, to battle. The aftermath could result in a new king. But who will take the throne? If Richard has anything to say about it, it will be neither of his brothers.