One terrorist, six hostages, a single bombing... nothing out of the ordinary for task force operatives Alexandra Lansing and Mark Praed. With one exception; this request comes from the High Council on Kyree.

An appeal from Kyree for task force help is peculiar enough for a planet where non-violence is practiced by all its citizens, but the Council is very specific in their choice of task force personnel: Mark Praed.

Praed is baffled by the request. This is the same planet where his birth to a well born Kyreen female caused a galactic scandal, forcing his human father to flee Kyree with his half-human infant.

The operatives travel to Kyree and meet with the High Council's leader, Dame Ruthanon. Her orders are clear: the hostages are to be released and the terrorist captured, all without the use of violence.

Alex and Praed are soon caught up in something more devious than the straight-forward capture of a terrorist. Nothing is as it appears, and what should have been a simple operation turns into a tangled mess of falsehoods, secret associations and hidden agendas.