"When the jaguars dance, the ants get stepped upon," 8 Manik, a humble feather merchant in the ancient Mayan city of Tikal, tells his daughter. In the middle of a great public ceremony, Jasaw Chan K'awil the city's new leader, has narrowly escaped an assassination attempt by a figure wearing the mask the rain god. Beset by foreign enemies and fearful of plots among nobles jealous of his status, Jasaw has turned to the one person who knows the secret of his rise to power.Drawn into a world of conspiracy between rival clans, 8 Manik and his daughter must identify the assassin, risking banishment or even death if they fail. Their path will take them through a world of illicit passion and espionage from enemy city states with only obscure messages from the patron god of travelers and their own wits to help them survive.