The novel began a series also called Genome, consisting of Dances on the Snow (a prequel, although written later) and Cripples (a sequel).

All humans are subjects of the Empire, ruled by a small child, although all decisions are made by the Imperial Council in his name.

To maintain the peace, the Empire was forced to quarantine its own colony of Ebon, which contained a large part of the Imperial military industry and provided a sizable percentage of soldiers.

The ideology of the people of Ebon, formed by the ruling Church of the Angered Christ, demands the complete extermination of all alien life in the Universe to make way for the true children of God — humans.

Humanity continues the eugenic practice started long ago (in this regard, the novel is reminiscent of Lukyanenko's short story The Road to Wellesberg).

After the metamorphosis, no matter the actual age, the spec attains the full legal status of an adult and a rightful citizen of the Empire.

Most naturals do not have as high a salary as the specs and are usually forced to take on jobs that do not require special skills (valets, waiters, etc.).

The exceptions include jobs which a natural is physiologically unable to perform, such as an energetic-spec, who works directly with reactors and must be able to handle lethal doses of radiation.

Also, almost no natural is completely unmodified, as several more general modifications are used by virtually everyone, including visual correction to fix bad eyesight and neural shunts allowing direct brain-to-computer interface.

Besides specs and naturals, there is also a third group of people: they are genetically modified but lack any moral restrictions programmed into speshes.

Alex Romanov is a pilot-spec, born on Earth, gets out of the hospital on the planet Mercury Bottom, where he spent six months after an accident.

Alex meets Kim Ohara, a runaway fourteen-year-old girl, who is an unformed fighter-spec, escaped from her home on Eden.

Unfortunately, the process must take place in a hospital under the watchful eyes of qualified doctors, but Alex is out of money and does not know anyone on this planet.

He surprisingly quickly locates a perfect and extremely attractive offer — the post of captain on a small but new ship Mirror with the right to choose his own crew.

During the metamorphosis, Kim reveals that she has a secret compartment in her body, containing a fairly large gel-crystal — one that is usually used in a supercomputer.

He hires a Black-race doctor named Janet Ruelo from the quarantined planet Ebon, a spec with five specifications.

The passengers turn out to be two Czygu tourists, Zei-so and Sei-so, as well their guide-spec Danila C-third Shustov, an employee of the Sky Company, who are also the owners of the Mirror.

Alex finds out that Pak Generalov pathologically hates clones and has a hard time accepting C-third on their ship.

Alex has to convince Kim, demand Janet to give him a warrior's oath not to harm the Czygu, and reason with Generalov.

Growing up within the crystal's virtual world, Edgar managed to gain access to the public network, meeting Kim.

Alex asks Edgar for a favor — to create a substance which would temporarily disable a spec's emotional modifications.

Before landing on the planet Zodiac, the crew finds out that a crime has taken place on board the ship — Zei-so has been brutally murdered.

Since the forces are about even, the war is bound to devastate both species, and the victor will be too weak to stand against the other races, who will not miss their chance to gain extra territory.

The military power of Ebon is so great, that the Czygu will have no chance, but the other races will forget their differences and united against humanity.

There is only one way of preventing the war — find the murderer within two days and show the Czygu undeniable proof that justice has been served.

In fact, it is the consciousness of a long-dead legendary genetic constructor named Edward Garlitsky, who is credited with founding the science of specification.

Garlitsky was fired and, at the Emperor's decree, his consciousness was copied onto a gel-crystal and his body destroyed, so he could continue working on specifications but under a watchful eye of the overseers.

Alex begins to understand that the effect of Edgar's substance is not temporary, which means that he will retain the ability to love for a long time, possibly forever.