Her grandmother exiled to Mars by the Russian Empire, her mother ordered there by Empress Faustina. Now, native-born Alicia Alvarez, carrying Hartmann demi-human blood and ability, leads a hard life on a hard colony world.

A life made harder when, on a mining expedition, she missteps and slides over four kilometers under Mars' great plateau. Surviving the drop, Alicia walks out into a wonderland of a lost civilization, hundreds, if not thousands, of years old.

In the dark, she is able to find food and water. But she also finds she is not alone and her life in danger. Worse, she makes a discovery that may provoke a war between her home planet and Earth.

Although back on the surface a team is thrown together for her rescue, Alicia must fight to stay alive until help can reach her.