The Gate of Ice is the only way in or out of the mountain-at least that's supposed to be true. There's a second gate, a smuggler's gate dug in secret over decades by a Southcaver named Yale. The Southcaver dwarves might not be the most reputable in the mountain, but they have a certain tenacity and rebellious streak that Yale depends on.

Topaz, a Southcaver smelter's daughter, decides to accept proposals of marriage. She doesn't anticipate getting mixed up with the existence of the Second Gate, much less the fate of the whole mountain. But with King Ringhand trying to close in on the elusive Smuggler Prince, neither she nor Yale can avoid what is to come.