The war has been going on for hundreds of years, risking red-blooded human lives daily. There are now two types of people, poverty stricken Red commoners, and the rulers over all, the elite Silvers that have god-like powers. To Mare Barrow and her best friend Kilorn, 17 year old Red commoners from the Stilts, it looks like the war will never end. Before getting conscripted, Mare finds herself working in the King's Palace, the place she hates most. There she meets Maven, a Sliver prince that will soon be her husband only because Mare finds out that she possesses powers, even though she is a Red. What will happen to Mare when she has to pretend to be a Silver in a palace full of real Silvers, I mean "power is a dangerous game"? What will happen when she joins the secret Scarlet Guard, a group of Red rebels trying to destroy the Silvers? Will she survive it all, or will she get caught?