Acting Sublieutenant Lya 9/E872/87911-41918 arrives on Ilendum for her first posting. She's greeted by secessionist violence and an Alliance Military command in a deplorable state. Burdened with injury and clandestine orders, Lya soon finds that the situation is worse than Sector HQ anticipated. The reputation of the Alliance is being tarnished, a people are being exterminated and there are greater dangers to the dream of utopia. Lya and the allies she can make on planet are alone against the enemy, but not for long if they can't discover what the real enemy is and do something about it.