The free ships of the pirates have never gathered around any single leader, but when the Mechanics seek to limit the power of the Empire, Jules realizes it offers her a means to grow the strength of the free people escaping the Emperor's grasp. Gaining access to the strange Mechanic weapons known as "revolvers", she marshals her forces in an unprecedented attempt to capture an Imperial settlement.

Ultimately, Jules must play the three greatest powers in the world against each other, in a desperate gambit to survive.