A young thief is taken from prison and dragooned into a secret journey to a neighbouring country, presumably to steal something, but what, exactly and why are not revealed to him. This starts out as a straightforward quest, using the travelling time to delineate the personalities of the various members of the group and establish the worldbuilding. The thief is an engaging, if sly, narrator, getting on the nerves of his captors without pushing them too far. Paradoxically, he ends up endearing himself more than he might have expected and starts to feel a responsibility towards them, which might be Stockholm Syndrome, or might be something else. The thievery itself is tense and exciting, and the twists and turns of the attempted getaway are dizzying.