A renowned scientist disappears from her private moon, far out on the fringes of human space-pushing mankind to the brink of war with the only other intelligent species in the galaxy. A war they will lose. Light years away, a madman becomes convinced that nature's blueprint for life is flawed; setting into motion a misguided plan that will kill billions. An investigator sent to find the missing scientist ties these two events together, cutting through an elaborate web of subterfuge and deception, until finally, the truth is revealed. A horrible truth that blurs the line between friend and enemy, and threatens the extinction of all sentient life in the galaxy.