On the distant planet Aurora Saura, where your body is not your own, the good people cower in basements to avoid the scavengers plaguing the skies. Not far away, on a plateau crisp with ice, an alien overlord toils relentlessly to keep his species whole. And in the sandstone streets of Merrocha, a young girl peddles her father's tinctures and potions, unaware of the imminent cosmic intervention that's about to unfold.

Kyjta is a deft hand at administering her father's potions, even when she shouldn't. Her face is marked by an alien brand that sparkles like tears picking up starlight, and she's far too busy plotting revenge to notice one very important fact.?