The books pick up the story of the Black Company shortly after the battle with the Dominator. Croaker, the most senior of the survivors, is now the captain of the Black Company. His one goal, and now also the last goal of the Black Company, is to return to the mysterious city of Khatovar, where, according to the Chronicles, the company originated in the ages long past.

Of course, this is easier said than done. A sore ending for a famous mercenary army, the Black Company now only numbers eight men. Which is actually not precise, for one of the number is the Lady, once a powerful sorceress who is now bereft of all her powers and torn between her duties of the empress and her desire to escape the seclusion of power.

The Black Company journeys further and further south in search of the fabled Khatovar. Although Khatovar itself remains as big a question mark as when the journey started, more and more hints appear suggesting that they are indeed moving in the right direction. And that is when the company arrives at a city of Taglios and an unexpected obstacle in the way south appears. For Taglios is at war with Shadowmasters, a handful of powerful wizards who occupy the land south of Taglios and make the journey impossible. Desperate to reach Khatovar, Croaker decides to enlist the services of the Black Company one last time, to help Taglios overcome the Shadowmasters and get help in reaching Khatovar in return ...

The two books of this series follow The Chronicles Of The Black Company, and it is probably a good idea to read those first. Also, if the series interests you at all, do not even think of buying it one book at a time, for the endings are genuine cliffhangers.