"During the holiday revels of Port Kar, an attempt is made on the life of Tarl Cabot. And Tarl discovers that the Priest-Kings have turned against him! To clear himself of their charge of treason, he must follow the assassin's trail. The way to achieve that was to join, in disguise, a troupe of traveling Players, a sort of Gorean carnival, which world give him entry to enemy cities and hostile territories. But life in such a carnival is always a risk in itself. There are monsters in form and monsters in mind among them--and there may be spies of the alien Kurs and the Priest-Kings."--Back cover