It features a group of spacefaring Roman Catholic nuns performing charity work across the galaxy; eventually, they discover a conspiracy that will test their faith.

At the same time, the Earth Central Governance sends a priest to join the ship's crew, reasserting control over the previously independent sisters.

The nuns and Vauca's crew respond, only to find that Earth Central Governance has unleashed the plague in order to trigger another war and regain their power.

The Mother Superior reveals that she was previously a member of Earth Central Governance before becoming a nun, and that her husband designed ringeye as a biological warfare agent.

[3] A reviewer for Paste praised the pacing and felt that the novel succeeded in exploring big themes despite its small page count.

Their review praised the author's "expert control" over her characters and world, but found the novel's abrupt ending to be its "only significant flaw".