The country of Eglesh chooses its rulers strangely: the Crown, its symbol of office, chooses for itself. By a means that nobody knows, using a sapience that nobody is sure truly exists, and with magic that nobody knows the source of, the King is granted authority and immortality, at the cost of their freedom -- the Crown doesn't ask, and the position cannot be refused. One day, the King wakes up and is King.

Vainglory is the King, and does not want to be. They never asked for this power, never wanted it; the Crown is cursed, the throne is hard, and the responsibility is crushing. When one of their advisors attempts to kill them to take the Crown, Vainglory begins to wonder: can the curse be broken? Is there a way out after all? Perhaps, with the help of a willing few, something can be done...