The Three have returned to the universe causing great carnage as their eternal battle for the soul of the universe continues. Beleaguered, the office of the Inquisitor General deploys Prekhauten Guard units to hunt down heretics and traitors in efforts to stop the coming war before it can begin. Tolde Breed is summoned with an important task. Hunt down and kill the heretic Inquisitor, Ursal Prowl. The quest will take him to the far reaches of the universe. To the hulking space station of Hawker's Gate where destiny awaits. There, together with a team of Prekhauten Guards, Tolde will witness the opening salvos of a conflict greater than any in human history.

Elisa and Mollock Bolle were saved by the Bloody Man and given the task of finding the Paradise Tear only to seemingly be forgotten on the desert world of An'kuruku. The motives of the Three are ever deceptive however. Elisa loses her way, only to find courage and strength once again as the fates bring her closer to the edge of her quest. Paradise Tear is within reach.

Deep in the deserts a storm brews. The whirlwind has come to An'kuruku under the guise of false freedom. Mollock is taken in and transformed into the voice for change, rebellion, and liberation from the Conclave. People flock to his call, all eager to listen to the madman on the rocks preach. It is a downward spiral from which he cannot escape.

Traitors and heroes engage in conflicts across the universe as the Three make their opening moves in what promises to be their last confrontation. The war has begun. Humanity is the prize.