Aurora, an unimportant planet far away from the regular trade routes. The human colonists have turned their back on technology and chosen to live the way people lived in the Dark Ages of Earth. Major Jeremy Falcon and his Accilla partner, Alita, are sent to Aurora to investigate the rumors that giant Ants are abducting people and are possibly getting ready to invade the planet. Traveling on horseback from town to town, they face prejudice and religious zealots. They begin to wonder if the rumors about giant ants have been exaggerated. What they find is much more sinister and shocking. They race against time trying to avert an incident that could spark a war between the Osirian Empire and the Solar Union. The discovery they make suddenly attracts the interest of all the major races that live on this side of the galactic wheel.