Princess Mercedes, daughter of the Emperor-beautiful, privileged, sharp as a sword-has no say in her life. When her father determines she must graduate from the Solar League's elite military academy, The High Ground, in order to ascend the throne, she does as he commands. Even though she'll be the first woman admitted to the Star Command academy, which means no one wants her there, including herself. But Mercedes is not one to back down from a challenge. Thracius "Tracy" Belmanor, the common-born son of a tailor, has won a scholarship to The High Ground. This is his chance to rise above the life scripted for him, to become an officer in Star Command, even possibly win fame and honor. But the high-born sons of corporate royalty treat him with scorn and derision, isolating him in his struggle to survive the harsh curriculum. Tracy is alone and miserable, until he forms an unlikely friendship with the the Emperor's daughter. As if surviving the academy isn't enough-along with all the teasing about the princess and the pauper-Mercedes and Tracy soon stumble upon a conspiracy that goes to the highest echelons. The aristocracy-controlled Solar League has been hiding secrets and not all alien races are under its control. Alien invasion, civil, and interstellar war loom on the horizon-with Tracy and Mercedes in the thick of it all, testing the bounds of friendship, loyalty, and desire.