The first episode, comprising five books, tells the story of how Owen Deathstalker, reluctant heir to the ancient Deathstalker name and minor historian, came to lead a galactic rebellion against the powerful and corrupt empire in which he lives. The second episode is set 200 years after the first, and follows Lewis Deathstalker, a distant relative to Owen. Three additional novels, eventually republished as an anthology, act as a prequel of sorts – although they contain no mention of the Deathstalker family they expand on other important characters and provide further insight into the workings of the empire.