In the palace of the of the Grossekaiser Von Adel, a shadowy war of succession is waged between his eight wives and their sons. Pawns in a much larger game, the princes are pitted against each other, all at the bidding of their puppeteering mothers.  In the midst of paranoia and death, two children try to carve out a piece of happiness for themselves. But can an ordinary life really be found in the twisted halls of the Grossekaiser's palace?  This is the story of the fleeting life of a Shadow.