[1] The novel covers the arrival of the Eqbas Vorhi task force to start Earth's environmental restoration, with Shan Frankland, the Royal Marines squad, and Aras joining them.

Esganikan's successor sends the other c'naatat hosts back to Cavanagh's Star to end the risk of spreading it on Earth.

Journalist Eddie Michallat has elected to stay on Wess'ej to watch the wess'har matriarch Nevyan's stepdaughter Giyadas grow up because he too regards her as a surrogate daughter, and also to report on the ecological renaissance of the isenj homeworld Umeh as a role model for Earth.

Shapakti and captured EU spy Mohan Rayat flee back to Wess'ej to prevent the eqbas leadership exploiting c'naatat to create immortal super-soldiers as the earlier Wess'har and Esganikan intended.

Shapakti's cure also means that Shan's ménage à trois has to decide whether they will remain together, or let Aras go to fulfil his longing for life as a normal wess'har after centuries of loneliness.