Young Mahala fears her obligations to the expectations of others will leave her no room to pursue her own destiny, whatever it may be. But things are changing in the universe around her -- and not all for the good. The already fragile alliance between Earth and Venus shows signs of shattering, as the Cytherians seek a greater independence from the stifling dominance of the home planet. And rumors of a hidden agenda among the "Habbers" -- the cybernetically enhanced dwellers of the mobile asteroid "Habitats" -- threaten to bring about a rebirth of the bloody turmoil that once nearly doomed a world. Withcatastrophe looming, it is Mahala who must take the steps to ensure that there is a future for her flawed, star-traveling kind -- as a mysterious call from deep space pulls her toward the fulfillment of her most cherished dreams . . . even as it tears her brutally away from everything she has ever known and loved.