For three long years, Tassin has tried to find a way to travel to the stars and free Sabre. Her hunt for the sword the Core lives in has proven futile, until one day a serving boy finds a key, and she discovers where Sabre hid the sword. She persuades the malevolent weapon to take her to Sabre, and arrives on the planet Ferrinon Four. Lost in a modern city, Tassin goes to a private detective who, since she has no money, advises her to try a friendly young hacker. Kole agrees to help her look for a cyber she only knows is somewhere on the planet. Without Sabre's serial number, all she can do is seek him amongst the many others on this world.

If she does locate Sabre, she has no money with which to buy him, and cybers cannot be stolen. Even Kole, who is the best hacker on the planet, knows it is impossible to hack a control unit. The micro-supercomputer is simply too complex, and has multiple security checks and firewalls, not to mention a lethal pair of fists. Tassin's only source of potential wealth is the sword, an oddity that a rich mogul might pay handsomely for. Kole advertises the weapon on the Net, and agrees to loan her the money to buy Sabre if she finds him, although to Tassin, the idea of buying him is abhorrent.

First they have to find him, and then she has to find a way to free him from cyber control again. Manutim would have taken him back to Myon Two for repairs, and there's a chance she may never be able to free him again, but at least she can ensure he does not suffer anymore. What kinds of torture has Cybercorp subjected Sabre to, and, if she finds him and frees him, will he still be the man she loves?