The novel begins with Commissioner Nils Hansen and his Special Police Unit team in a violent confrontation with criminal android Solbarth and his gang members, who are barricaded in a building.

Because of his reputation, Hansen is able to talk Solbarth and his gang members into surrendering with the promise that their lives would be spared.

The Consensus needs Hansen's skill and ruthlessness to discover what has happened to cause Northworld to disappear.

Hansen encounters a warm welcome from the curious people, but he finds that the weapons he carries begin to disintegrate; however, he does not stay in Diamond long.

There, he is greeted by Walker (who later reveals himself as North), who takes on the appearance of several talking animals, gives Hansen advice, and tries to gain his oath of allegiance.

He then sees a suit of left behind armor that was left in the snow and follows Lord Golsingh’s army back to Lord Golsingh's town called Peace Rock, where he wins a place in the army by challenging one of the soldiers to fight him.

Length as well as power density can be controlled by opening and closing the thumb and forefinger of the gauntlet.

Hansen describes his impression of the world thusly: “The whole thing was barbaric and pre-technological; whereas the warriors’ armor was extremely sophisticated, though idiosyncratic.” Nothing provides insight into how this can be.

Hansen learns the customs of the society and he teaches the warriors how to fight in teams and so become more effective, but not without obstacles.