Chaos. Where the universe ends, and reality begins. Everyone knows that Chitzas are masters of spatial compression, routinely exploring distant places across the Milky Way in their wedge-shaped scout ships. But rumors abound of even greater accomplishments. Some say these intrepid explorers have reached beyond the galaxy. When a distress signal is received from deep space, making sense of the emergency becomes a personal matter for Daniel Rice. His wife is onboard that ship. Has it been destroyed? No one knows, but searching for survivors won't be Daniel's only problem. The distress signal comes from a region so remote that light itself has not had time to reach our eyes. The Chitzas may have ventured beyond the cosmic horizon. Compelled to seek the truth, Daniel must follow the Chitzas' path across vast reaches of space to a mysterious planet in an unusual galaxy. What he learns will take him even further from home-to a place ruled by chaos.