In 21st century New York, the mysterious walking stick of Bernardo DuQuelle leads Katie back through time and space to her friends: Princess Alice and James O'Reilly. They need her help to save James' sister. In the Crimea, England is on a collision course with Russia. The Queen and Prince Albert long for the war, to join with the Turks and French to teach the Russians a lesson. But the outcome of the war could have disastrous consequences; a weakened Russia and a Germany freed from Austrian dominance. As Katie knows, this is the beginning of the Germany that wages the First World War.