Meet Raa One, the tenacious crown prince of Asurapura on the continent of Naraka, moments before he must face the dangers of the Aranya jungle as part of his Twice-Born Trial of Seven Days. He emerges from the Aranya and returns to the palace, triumphant but emotionally drained. His completion of the Trial, however, brings about more complications than he could have imagined.
The disappearance of his sister Soor Pan, the discovery of mines operated by Devan overlords of his land, and an alliance with the mysterious Underground forces Raa One to question his beliefs and purpose on Naraka.
Unlikely alliances with half-snake half-human Nagas, ten-foot-tall Rakshasas and shocking discoveries about his own family push Raa One to his limit, and he must ultimately decide his role in the chaos as dynamics shift, lives are lost and sacrifices are made: Is he a leader, an observer or merely a cynic?