University of Florida computer science professor (and closeted überhacker), Harold Butterfield, and his Corgi and best friend, HardDrive (a.k.a. Hardee), just met a new friend, Olivia Zoë Maria Anderson, a demon cosplayer, at a convention. On their way home, they're abducted by aliens and subjected to "the usual" mistreatment. In the process, Harold learns that it's the opinion of these aliens that Earth's Homo sapiens are likely to prove too much trouble in the future, and that the simplest way to avoid that trouble is simply to detonate our sun. They have a long history of detonating suns. Clearly it's up to Harold, Olivia, and Hardee to do something about that.