Stephen Alphonzo was an arbitrator on Altron until an accident left him blind. After the accident he learned the art of blacksmithing in a remote village, and lived there happily with his daughter until a young visitor from the space port arrived and asked him for help. What begins as a simple visit to the space port leads him back into the complex world of being an arbitrator.
The knifewraiths, a violent race who live in the dark and have become a threat to the humans on Altron, have kidnapped diginaries from another world. Stephen and his daughter are drawn into the negotiations to get the dignitaries back, and eventually make peace between the humans and knifewraiths.