A heavy chain of betrayals and upsets binds the Duchess in a prison cell on Mandalore. Darth Maul intends to use Satine as bait. Though the situation looks bleak, Satine refuses to lose hope or let sway her most cherished ideals.

Formerly Pre Vizsla's sergeant-at-arms, Bo-Katan has split from Death Watch, taking a handful of Mandalorian rebels with her. She tires of traditions that keep Mandalore in a stagnant cycle. Though it defies code, she refuses to accept Maul as their legitimate leader.

A pained cry for help brings Obi-Wan Kenobi rushing to Mandalore, to seek out the source of the distress and ensure the safety of his beloved Duchess Satine. The noble Jedi is speeding headlong into a trap and a deadly confrontation with destiny.

Mandalore's neutrality keeps it insulated from Republic intervention -- and unfortunately, Republic assistance. Obi-Wan Kenobi's mission to the planet must be made covertly, so the Jedi borrows the dilapidated spice freighter that has been Anakin Skywalker's hobby project since the start of the war.

Though their grand leader remains hidden in the shadows, the Death Watch loyalists under Darth Maul's command pay tribute to him by modifying their armor to create a rank of super commandos, in the ancient Mandalorian tradition. These blood-hued elite soldiers are led by captains who have even emulated Maul's crown of horns atop their helmets.

Satine's bright and ambitious nephew, he will not sit idly by while his aunt is in danger. With his fellow alumni from the Mandalorian academy, Korkie springs a daring jailbreak in an attempt to rush Satine to relative safety.

Darth Sidious detects a disturbance in the Force. He has been aware of Maul's return, but was content to monitor from a distance, curious as to what his former apprentice would do. Now that Maul has tipped the scales of power on Mandalore and has indicated a desire to rule entire worlds, Sidious decides he must deal with this errant Sith survivor.

The mercurial machinations of his brother are beyond Savage Opress' understanding. He simply devotes himself to loyally serving Maul not only as family, but as his Sith apprentice. When the true Dark Lord of the Sith arrives to settle the matter of Maul, the hulking Nightbrother discovers quiet painfully that he has become surplus to requirements.

Mandalore is the seat of authority for a league of neutral worlds in the Clone Wars. The planet pays dearly for this idealistic stance, and its determination to avoid the ravages of warfare ultimately leads to an explosive coup that engulfs the world.