Nova Esperan a offers no future for Liege Neves as a gangrat and daughter of the favelas. With one goal in mind--to save her younger sister and ailing grandfather from a difficult and hopeless future--Liege's only option is the Federation Navy. Scoring higher on her entrance exams than anyone had expected, Liege enlists as a corpsman and hopes for a safe career that will allow her to get her Av the help he requires.

The needs of the Navy always take precedence, however, and instead of an expected hospital billet, Liege's life takes a dangerous turn when her first set of orders is to the Fleet Marine Corps instead. After being trained to heal and save lives, she is suddenly issued a weapon and thrust into combat to defend the Federation. Face-to-face with war, destruction, and the probability to both save and take lives, Liege must find the strength, discipline, and courage within herself to protect her family and brothers-in-arms and earn the time-honored title of "Doc."