Shoulder the Sky follows Aurelius, the King’s Mage, as they begin to understand the depth of King Rex’s corruption, much of which they have been unknowingly complicit in. Aurelius runs away and spends time amongst the Populace, learning about their lives and trying to mitigate the harm King Rex has caused. When he realizes, the King sends guards and drags Aurelius back to the castle. After briefly giving up hope, Aurelius realizes that nothing will get better—for the populace or anyone else—while King Rex is in power, and that if they want change, they will have to be the one to bring it.