Baron Chandler governs an impossible town held sixty feet above the seabed within the shell of an ancient volcano. The town thrives, taking heat, power and minerals from the heart of the sleeping volcano.The bitter and ambitious Clive Barbican uses his positions within the government and the powerful Buckthornes corporation to manipulate sentiment in England against the tiny independent state of Splinterton.The Baron's comfortable routine unravels when Martlet, a freelance assassin-thief arrives in Splinterton. Her mission triggers a series of events that will topple governments.