The Felmotte family have a dark and terrible secret: inheriting the title of Lord Felmotte means not only taking on centuries of family history, political allegiance and land, but also the souls of all the previous patriarchs - jostling for space within the poor beleaguered body of the heir. When civil war takes the Felmotte heirs from their family seat and into battle for King Charles, attention turns to Kate, the bastard child of the current heir, in possession of the family 'talent'. Working as a servant and kept around in case of just such an emergency, Kate knows what that attention might mean and, rather than become a vessel for the bickering souls of generations of angry, volatile men, arms herself the best way she can - by taking on the spirit of a very angry, very dead bear. With the strength and instincts of the bear she is able to escape her family duty and head out into a country torn apart by war; but must soon decide which fate is worse: possession, or death.