Rain Black is the only Indian in St. John's Creek, a rustic settlement in the American Midwest. Despite being the town's only schoolteacher, he's seen as an outsider, and he's no stranger to prejudice. Rain's world revolves around Lily, his ailing niece. He can't imagine life without her, but Lily's days are numbered, and he knows it.

Set, a runaway from the Pleiades star cluster, crashes her spaceship on Rain's property. Set is a shapeshifter who can morph into human form, and that's just one of her supernatural talents.

Even among aliens, Set is special... and her captors would agree. They're not going to let her get away.