Sophos, the heir of Sounis, viewed with contempt by his father and a long series of tutors, was exiled to an island with his mother, sisters, and a small household of servants. He spent his time mostly reading poetry and wishing for someone to relieve him of his inherited responsibilities. Unfortunately, what comes instead is a troupe of attackers who kidnap Sophos, disguise him as a slave, and burn the manor house. Not sure if his mother and sisters survive, Sophos is taken back to the continent, where he is sure a rebellion of Barons waging civil war against his uncle, the king, mean him great harm. Sophos manages to escape and hide himself away among the indentured laborers in a great house, right under the nose of a Baron who might have hand in his kidnapping. From there, Sophos must make a decision: live safely in obscurity; or reveal himself and risk his life and the lives of his family? From this lowly position, is there any way Sophos can re-take his country? I picked this series back up after a 5 year gap since reading the first three. I had definitely forgotten some important information; for example, the fact that Sophos was a major character in book 1. This somewhat lessened the impact of some of the political machinations, but I still really enjoyed my return to this world and plan to finish out the series now.