Once a paradise, the primitive forest planet of Corvos has been conquered and enslaved by an interstellar empire. But not quite all of its native peoples have given up hope of freedom. In the depths of Mine Three, a fierce young slave named Cerrin prays every day to the god of battle for a chance—any chance—to strike her enemies. But the soldiers in their armored combat shells are beyond untouchable. Their technology seems almost magical. Their cruelty, limitless. But Cerrin knows nothing of the events in motion far above her head, in orbit above her planet. An aging military captain is greeting his new civilian commander—a vicious nobleman with ambitious plans for this backwater world. And with this new evil comes unexpected hope.

At last, the uprising begins.