A Clash of Kings is the story of a war between several claimants to the Iron Throne of Westeros, a fantasy world once ruled by dragons and sorcerers but now fallen to squabbling among noble houses. The Starks and Lannisters, two of the kingdom's dominant families, wage a destructive war that lays waste to Westeros while across the ocean the true heir to the throne, Daenerys Targaryen, struggles to keep her fledgling court, and dragons, alive.