When he first sets foot on Piatlo's space station, Sarl is close to bursting with plans for solving the planet's economic problems and creating the foundation for the galactic empire. But nothing goes as planned. Barie, who first loved him, then rejected him, refuses to see the wonders of his new technology. Then her ship is grabbed by a timeweaving space spider, and he puts imperial dreams aside to search through time and space for the woman he once loved.