Rebakah Cooper is finally a full member of the Provost's Guard and has her own partner with whom she patrols the streets of the Lower City of Corus. But she seems to have bad luck with her partners as the last one, the fourth, just asked for a reassignment. Thus Beka is back with her old training partners Clara Goodwin and Matthias Tunstall again. Shortly afterwards Beka rescues the scent houndAchoo from being maltreated by her present handler, Ercole Hempstead. On top of all bread prices are rising because there are rumors that the crops that year are bad. This eventually leads to theBread Riot, where Beka meets Dale Rowan and Hansevor Remy. But during the riot Tunstall is hurt, leaving him unfit for work for the next weeks. In the meantime false coins have been leaking into theTortallan moneystream and some of the senior guards and Beka have been investigating to find out where they come from.