Flis Kupe only wants to quit her life enduring the horrors of the interstellar war. She's even willing to burn out her embedded arlchip. The device pumps her miliary talents to the absolute limit. At a cost. Ready to return to a simple life, a cryptic message from her brother Bryce on Paulding throws her plans into disarray. A boarding by merciless river pirates thrusts Flis into a desperate race to make it home. Aided by the mysterious Grae, her band of survivors struggle through the wilds, the pirates hounding every step. When the pirates uncover Bryce's secret, the race becomes more than frantic. It becomes deadly.