Verone's life as a peasant was a lonely one until the strangers showed up at his door. They demanded he must come with them, to unravel a tangled Will and Testament that inexplicably bound him to the side of the stubborn, dark-headed young man, Antaries. Submitting to their demands gave him a quest, although he wasn't certain what the end result would be. As well as Antaries, the two hired guards, and the lawyer sent to oversee the complicated Will and Testament, he had to travel with another man that despised all peasants and was ready to sneer at him at every turn. On the road they were threatened by thieves, attacked and arrested, struck by poisoners and a pretty young pickpocket. But inside Verone was changing, for with the surprises of travel his heart contracted with an emotion he hadn't allowed himself to feel for a long time. Hope. Was he destined to be a lonely peasant with nothing to look forward to but scraping his next meal into his stomach with calloused hands? Or would Antaries prove to be the friend he never expected to come his way? Would he even extend himself to save Verone's life?