The series is set in the same Alliance-Union universe of Downbelow Station, but in a region of space in the opposite direction from Earth as the Alliance and Union.

The Compact is not a political organization, and has no government; it deals only with open trade, leaving the component civilizations to resolve conflicts between themselves.

Human space borders kif and knnn territory, the most aggressive and enigmatic species of the Compact respectively.

For this reason and because males are stereotyped as being emotionally unstable, only females go into space (until Pyanfar Chanur changes the rules).

Females do all the work on clan lands and in space ventures, although Cherryh does describe some able and intelligent males who become involved in the world around them.

Homeworld: Iji Mahendo'sat (singular mahe) are black or brown primate-like creatures, human-size or larger.

Mahendo'sat are idiosyncratically bad at learning other species' languages—many of them can not even master the pidgin used by Compact spacers—although they are quite eloquent in their own numerous languages.

They prefer delicate pleasures and pastel colors, their speech is exceedingly ceremonial and politically correct; their identities are prone to change ("Phase") under great stress, which has many legal implications.

They are strictly predators, unable to eat anything but live prey; they have two sets of teeth (outer for biting and inner for pulping—their throats are unfit for swallowing solid food) and retractable claws.

Their social and political [dis]organization revolves about a personal quality called sfik, which combines face, authority, and ferociousness.

Unlike other Compact oxygen-breathers, they are capable of remaining awake and physically active during the "no-time" of "Jump" – a fact which (like most other things about themselves) they prefer to keep secret.

They are very technologically advanced and powerful, although understanding them is tricky at best, since their brains are multi-part and their speech decodes as complex matrices of intertwined meanings.

Knnn, the third methane-breathing species, multi-legged tangles of wiry black hair, are the most technologically advanced in the Compact.

The first and the second use only reaction engines for propulsion; shuttles can land on planets while miners and jump ships need space stations to dock.

They exit at light speed and must dump velocity with help of the same jump engine; a ship failing to do so is doomed, and usually a high hazard.

To alleviate them somewhat, heavily trafficked systems usually keep buoys near the jump exit points that serve incoming ships with system-wide scan and traffic information, and also mail.

The space stations are universally built as huge doughnuts, the spin maintaining artificial gravity provided by centrifugal force; the Compact has no gravitational-control technology.

Then come the pressurized and "cold" holds for cargo canisters, loading machinery and a separate cargo access hatch; then the jump drive assembly with three vanes constructed of modular panels and mounted on support columns, with wire struts; these form the "hyperspace bubble" needed to cross the interface.

Aboard The Pride, Tully persuades an initially reluctant Pyanfar to accept him as a member of her otherwise all-female crew.

A fleet of human ships is on the way, though Tully does not make it clear whether they are coming to establish trade relations with the Compact or attack the kif.

Sikkukkut persuades a reluctant Pyanfar into becoming his ally, which raises the suspicions of an already hostile agent of the planet-oriented, conservative hani government.

Pyanfar offers Tully the opportunity to return with the human ships, but he elects to remain on The Pride as a crew member.

Hilfy, wanting to not offend the powerful stationmaster and tempted by the enormous payment, reluctantly accepts the contract and takes aboard the oji and its stsho guardian.

A mahen faction that many mahendo'sat believe to have "the Momentum" (a mystical force) wants the oji and is hunting for the stsho ambassador.

With the help of Vikktakkht, Hilfy returns to Meetpoint, now under the control of the mahen faction, and frees No'shto-shti-stlen, presenting gtst with Atli-lyen-tlas and the oji, thus completing a complex politically oriented marriage contract.