Tarl Cabot has struggled to free himself from the control of Gor's powerful Priest-Kings, but to no avail. Now he finds that mission challenged by a threat emanating from the planets forbidding northern lands. There, a menacing alien force waits for Tarl, who faces an awesome choice: protect his own position as a rich merchant-slaver, or risk everything to defend the freedom of his world. An adventure filled with incredible incident, barbaric peoples, and the ferocious clashes between men and women that have made John Norman one of science fiction's legendary storytellers.