The story revolves around determining whether a small furry species is sapient and features a mild libertarianism that emphasizes sincerity and honesty. The planet Zarathustra is listed as uninhabited -- which means that the entire planet can be owned by a corporation. That owner is the rich and happy Zarathustra Company -- rich and happy, that is, until a prospector named Jack Holloway comes across undocumented species -- a tiny, golden-furred little biped that he dubs "Little Fuzzy." Not only are the Little Fuzzies cute, they're bright too -- in fact, they may be sapient as people are . . . and that means everything the Zarathustra company owns on this world is at stake. . . .