Eyre has survived the collapse of the galactic empire better than most of the lost colonies with a central government, a world trade network, an effective medical system. And a pathological fear of death. When the medical re-contact ship, Waiora, arrives, with its dual mission of finding the plague and stabilizing surviving colonies, its crew is quickly immersed in a religious schism that endangers their mission and threatens their survival. As a mysterious contagion terrorizes the city and incites revolution against the Caducean Order, the Waiorans must choose between the success of their mission and their most deeply held values.
