Freshman interplanetary veterinary students Taje and Giem long for an offworld summer externship with plenty of adventure, excitement, and romance. Instead their assignment on Big Maxson's Planet forces them to face wildly dangerous, monstrous animals. Kind people will help, but nefarious characters also appear. When the students uncover a disastrous break in planetary disease protection, they make a fateful decision to split up to uncover the truth. Taje and Giem encounter more adventure, excitement, romance, and pain than they ever expected. Will they survive long enough to advance to their sophomore year?