The small settlement on the world of Caliente is suffering from a devastating drought and the two segments of the population are coming to blows over the remaining water. Someone has to be daring to keep everyone alive and Carmen del Santo Palo, a leader of one of the gangs, is reluctantly taking up the challenge.

Carmen is faster and smarter than a lot of the other gang members, but she's also begun to realize she has no future beyond being the leader of a gang. She'll see her people through the current round of troubles, but she doesn't know what will happen afterwards.

Besides, the future may be the least of her problems. She has to survive first.