Reluctant privateer Robert Fenaday searches the stars for his lost wife. He's joined by the genetically engineered assassin Shasti Rainhell, whose cold perfection masks a dark past. Government spymaster Mandela blackmails them both into a suicidal mission to a doomed planet. Leading a team of scientists and soldiers, they must unravel the mystery of a world's death before an ancient force reaches out to claim their lives.