In the 13th century, the Kingdom of Georgia finds itself under the crushing heel of the Mongol Empire. The Orbelian dynasty, a powerful noble family of Armenian origin, rules the region of Syunik as vassals to the khans. At the center of this turbulent world stands Smbat II Orbelian, a young prince who harbors no love for his Mongol masters but must carefully mask his true intentions. His goal is a precarious balancing act: appear completely loyal to the empire while secretly working to undermine its authority from within.

The narrative begins with the Mongol invasion and the death of Smbat's elder brother, Elikum, the Lord of Syunik. Elikum’s dying words surprisingly advise submission to the Mongols, a directive that clashes with the growing resentment among the Georgian and Armenian nobility. Smbat inherits not just his brother's title but also a perilous political landscape. A key early antagonist emerges in Gvantsa Kakhaberidze, the wife of the powerful Georgian commander Avag Zakarian. In a fictionalized but historically rooted act of betrayal, Gvantsa fabricates evidence of a rebellion, accusing Smbat of plotting against the Mongols. This scheme allows her to confiscate Syunik from the Orbelians, forcing Smbat into a desperate struggle to reclaim his family's lands.

The central narrative arc follows Smbat’s journey from a dispossessed lord to a cunning political player. Refusing to accept his fate, he undertakes an arduous pilgrimage to the Mongol capital at Karakorum. Armed with a splendid divine jewel given to him by a local mayor, Smbat seeks an audience with the Great Khan Mongke, the grandson of Genghis Khan. Presenting the jewel as a tribute, he leverages the opportunity to report the illegal tax exploitation and looting being carried out by Mongol forces in Georgia. His diplomatic gambit succeeds. He secures the patronage of Sorghaghtani Beki, the powerful Christian daughter-in-law of Genghis Khan, and persuades Mongke Khan to recognize his claim to Syunik, making it a tax-exempt fiefdom under direct Mongol protection. This victory, however, comes at the cost of deeper entanglement with the very empire he resents, forcing him to continue his double life as a disloyal retainer serving a foreign power.

The setting spans from the mountainous fortresses and churches of Syunik and the court at Tbilisi to the vast, distant seat of Mongol power at Karakorum. The manga, created by Tomato Soup, draws on the complex history of the Armenian and Georgian principalities under the Mongol yoke, blending political intrigue, ethical dilemmas, and a protagonist whose cunning is his greatest weapon.