In the kingdom of O'Ren, winter never ends, and war never stops. Every child knows the contract: serve ten years in the military, and you walk free. But for a family to free a son before his term begins, both parents must serve — together, and for three years. If either dies, the contract breaks. Bran and Illa Grave signed it for their son, Eran. He was eleven when they left for the front. He was eleven when the academy took him. Now Eran trains alongside other children — boys and girls who will become soldiers whether they want to or not. They learn to hold a musket before they can hold a thought. They learn that punishment is not a lesson but a system, and that the system does not care about fairness.