Moctezuma Ilhuicamina's twenty year reign of aggressive empire expansion has delivered stability, commerce and a time of plenty. Yet success gives rise to jealousy, and there is no shortage of critics or family members with a claim to his throne. Little Maize, dreaming of escape from her workhouse prison, despairs as she loses Clawfoot to his calling in the priesthood. Clawfoot has his own problems that can only get worse as the high priest sends him on a dangerous mission to shield the order from the looming power struggle. Heart of the Jaguar's prowess as a warrior has given him command of the most powerful fighting force in the land, but strength of numbers isn't always the answer and the unfolding plots mean that he will find his resourcefulness tested to the limit.