Dizzy has a long discussion with Sceptre about free will in a surveillance society. He then learns just how many hostages the crown holds, and how powerful even unintended slights can be.

Dizzy meets with some of the other royal hostages, and finds that the disembodied voice he'd heard belongs to a hidden and unexpected confidante. Meanwhile, Capt. Trumble is lambasted by the commissioner and his wife. He swears to take Dizzy down, no matter what the world says about him.

Dizzy finds himself trapped by the highest of nobility, who tell him of their situation, and offer him a wild opportunity. He is immersed in their culture, and invited to their celebration.

All his life, Dizzy has run from his fate. The Balls, the dances, the Hidden Institute, they were all ways of making sure he never got caught. Now, an entire city police force is after him, and there is no escape.

The King meets with stiff competition in his charity Bear Polo game, with some disastrous consequences. Far away, Dizzy faces down someone he hasn't spoken to for fifteen years.

Disraeli Augustus McCracken has a dangerous showdown with the world's most powerful commoner, the Dowager Queen. Meanwhile, half a nation away, the King prepares for a friendly game of Bear Polo.