A race of beings called the Bruwnan, who, having reached the limits of what was technically possible in the universe, moved beyond it and into a set of dimensions of their own creation. Here, beyond the physical limitations of normal space time they created a virtual city called Valheel which was constructed on the inside of a sphere. For more than half the age of the universe the immortal occupants of Valheel refined the arts and sciences of the physical universe they had left behind. But how many times can you rehash a form of art? How does the mathematical rephrasing of Euclidian physics change the nature of it? Half the age of the universe is a long time to be bored. Amantarra couldn't honestly put a finger on when she realised that something was wrong, the problem had been masked by the general lethargy that had descended on the city. Valheel had become a city of immortals that felt dead. Her father was the first to voice his concern; "people are disappearing" he confided to his two daughters. The Bruwnan were unaware of it, but they were at war with an unknown enemy. Three hundred thousand years before this story starts, Saranythia, Amantarra's sister, had set out to do something about it. She was never heard from again. Now it was Amantarra's turn, but despite her best efforts the battle follows her to Earth where she is forced into hiding. It's in a small town in England that an unsuspecting John Godbert suddenly finds himself caught up in a war that is older than the human race. Not only is he caught up in it, he is the key to the survival of two species, human and Bruwnan.