Princess Aubrielle Berman knows that when a goddess calls, nobility must answer. If she cannot renew the pact between land, commoner, and noble at The Great Lady's Beltane rite, then the death of a village, cursed when blood was spilled on the common, will be the least of her problems. Without Ariel's help, the princess has no hope of saving the village. Even a month ago, Princess Aubrielle would not have dreamed of turning to an immortal (or player as they call themselves) like Ariel to help her answer the Great Lady's call. But after Ariel helped the princess overcome her arrogance and relate to the commoners enough to take the noble part in the goddess's rite, Princess Aubrielle would not dream of turning to anyone else. Ariel may be a character in the world's most realistic virtual reality, but even for her and her player David, the events in the princess’s world have consequences they cannot escape. Besides, David and Ariel have their own challenge to face. Ariel's success as the first immortal player to be initiated into her guild means that David can spend almost all his time playing Ariel. Increasingly, he feels like he is living a lie: no one knows that Ariel is played by a man. No one appreciates the work he's done. But could David face a world in which everyone knew that he was behind Ariel?