Komarr could be a garden - with a thousand more years work. Or an
uninhabitable wasteland, if the terraforming fails. Now the solar mirror
vital to the terraforming of the conquered planet has been shattered by
a ship hurtling off course. The Emperor of Barrayar sends his newest
Imperial Auditor, Lord Miles Vorkosigan, to find out why. The choice is
not a popular one on Komarr, where a betrayal a generation before
drenched the name of Vorkosigan in blood. In the political and physical
claustrophobia of the domed cities, are the Komarrans surrounding Miles
loyal subjects, potential hostages, innocent victims, or rebels bidding
for revenge? Lies within lies, treachery within treachery - Miles is
caught in a race against time to stop a plot that could exile him from
Barrayar forever. His burning hope lies in an unexpected ally, one with
wounds as deep and honor as beleaguered as his own.