As Jacen struggles with the loss of many supporters and almost all his friends and loved ones in his bid to rule the galaxy, Luke must deal with grief and the guilt at having killed the wrong person in revenge. The leaders of both sides of the galactic civil war are increasingly losing control over their forces, the Jedi and their allies are hunting the wrong target as they seek to bring the unknown murderer to justice, and a hidden group of Sith have to figure out what to do about Jacen and their own secret agenda.