Gellibrand Obsidian, the heir to a vast fortune made by his father and grandfather while settling a planet on the Empire's rim, runs away from his manipulative mother, a cheated fiancee, and the family fortune by joining the sector infantry. But his quiet life as a grunt ends abruptly when his transport is shot down over jungle on another planet. He must lead his platoon in a fightback against a fierce group of mercenaries known as The Destroyers, with the help of a former hitman. At the same time, he has to grapple with the dark mysteries behind the murder of a director of his family company, of which he is accused, and a beautiful sex worker.