Kidnapped at an early age, Ansett has been raised in isolation at the mystical retreat called the Songhouse. Having only songs for companions, he develops a voice unlike any heard before. It is both a blessing and a curse, for the young songbird can reflect all his audience feels, and by magnifying their emotions, use his voice to heal - or destroy.

When it is discovered that his is the voice the Emporor has waited decades for, Ansett is summoned to the Imperial Palace on Old Earth. His songs will soon be put to the test: either to salve the troubled conscience of a conqueror, or to drive him, and the universe, to madness . . .