A modern college student joins her father on research trip to Antarctica, falls through the ice, and enters Shalemar, a hidden world in the throes of revolution where her coming has been foretold for 500 years. Within days, Shara Kennington will win the heart of the newly crowned king, fight in a decisive battle, learn how to take tea, make a lifelong rival of the would-be queen, and encounter a mysterious presence that appears to her as a sentient light. Initially out of place in a world founded in 1530 by shipwrecked pirates, Shara makes use of her knowledge of military history, equestrian skills, and understanding of politics in this epic adventure.