 With the destruction of the Smoke Jaguar Clan and the abatement of the Clan threat to the Inner Sphere, veteran warrior and estranged noble Ian Dresari returns to his home world, Kentaris IV, the site of the bloodiest massacre in the history of the Inner Sphere, only to find that yet another massacre is occuring. His cousin, a puppet loyal to the conquering Lyran Alliance forces, has slain his family and tried to place the world under the rulership of House Steiner. Now Ian is in the lead of a rebel group intent on taking out the pro-Steiner forces on Kentaris IV, by any means necessary.