Dassa skates toward the palace in completion of her Third Quest, unaware the Karkar Plague has returned to ravage Gannah. On a medical starship not far away, Dr. Pik is ordered to find a cure for the plague - an unlikely assignment, given his inbred hatred of the whole Gannahan race. Duty trumps prejudice, however, and he succeeds… but that’s just the beginning of the story. Dassa and Pik survive attack by space pirates, food poisoning, savage Gannahan beasts, and a plane crash. The hardest part, though, is enduring one another’s company. The Creator who wrote the story of redemption in the stars has commanded her to share it with her reluctant savior. That’s not all He requires of her, but the rest is unthinkable.