A lost colony world is reunited with Earth after four centuries apart. Their coming together should be a joyous occasion - but nothing about this reunion is as it seems. Captain Charles Jonson, head of the mission from Earth, takes on the acting role of his life. Simply surviving on the planet is difficult enough but manipulating and deceiving the beautiful woman who leads the colony, Councilor Nydra, is by far the greatest challenge he has ever faced. As Charles and Nydra spar with misleading words and hidden weapons, Daniela, a young woman in a distant settlement defies the iron-clad rules laid down for the colony's survival and leaves the safety of her home to join the boys in their rite-of-passage, the First Journey. They are all players in a game where the rules are secret and the rewards hidden... but the risks are very real.
