Newly promoted Captain Michael Sheridan finds himself leading a company of untried Marines against their enemy, the Kurgans, dug in on Illum Prime. Fighting for survival, Sheridan and his mentor, Master Sergeant Alan Cole, must do all they can to keep their people alive not only from the Kurgans but from traitors hidden in plain sight. From the deserts of Illum Prime, to the depths of space, the Kurgan War continues.