An archaeologist and her dog are abducted by aliens. Now they must find a way home. When archaeologist Carmen O'Dwyer hears that her favorite ancient site was ravaged by wildfires, all she wants is to preserve what's left. But the flames also unveiled a mystery. Carmen's exploration triggers a catastrophe when she and her loyal dog, Smita, are kidnapped off-world by an alien society to be displayed as curios.

Forcing her captors, the Paz, to realize they abducted an intelligent species by mistake is hard enough. Getting home is even harder when she learns of their extreme isolationism due to a past war. Carmen seeks the help of a Paz outcast, Inquieto, to help her navigate Paz culture, which even he has trouble understanding.

Two outcasts on a planet rife with political tension, Carmen and Inquieto must learn to trust each other or risk falling into the pit of deception and intrigue of Paz society, all while uncovering insidious secrets that could shake Paz civilization to its core and keep Carmen away from Earth--forever.