Quagga, a frozen world where ultra-alien scientists created many of the quasi-human species in Evigone. Nobody in their right mind would choose to go there - except a man determined to re-start a war that ended fifty years ago. Allis Ruddoc has lived all life on the Picarel, a small trading ship, where her mother is captain and her two uncles plus their chef and his cat, are crew. Her father was a quasi-human, semi-telepathic, and Allis has inherited his ability. When the ship falls into financial difficulties, her mother takes a job from an archaeologist and explorer, not realising he knows about Allis's father and wants to use her for his own agenda.