"As the war rages, the Elves capture an Orc who survived the last offensive they launched. Knowing the Orcs' sense of honor, Valardil, the formidable Elf general, offers him a deal : either the Orc surrenders and pledges allegiance to him, becoming a traitor in the eyes of his own people. Either he accepts an endurance challenge : to hold out all night under Valardil's passionate assaults to regain his freedom.

But if the Elves know the Orcs' sense of honor, they know nothing of their customs. And what Valardil thought was a deameaning choice is likely to be perceived very differently by his prisoner."