Cooper Ridley was dead. At least until Azrnoth-zin turned his ship around and brought Ridley's body aboard his spacecraft. In a desperate act to save Ridley's life, Azrnoth-zin goes against all Delfinian tenets of first contact and places him in a neural reorganization chamber. Ridley's life functions are restored, but something is wrong. Ridley now discovers he has mental access to the alien history including secrets not known to most Delfinians, including Azrnoth-zin. They finally catch up with the remainder of the Delfinian fleet; the Water Council deems Ridley to be a threat and banishes him to the Displaced Work Force, where every day is a fight for survival. Meanwhile, Azrnoth-zin is tried as a deserter and traitor and is handed a sentence worse than physical death. Now, many light years from his home world, Ridley comes face to face with the Trochinids, a malevolent alien force moving through the systems, consuming everything in their path. He must use all of his newfound knowledge, along with some good old-fashioned Earth-borne skills to survive the Trochinids, the Delfinian Water Council, the exotic and beautiful squadron commander Mara-jul, and a bunch of displaced aliens who just don't like the way he looks. Maybe staying dead wasn't such a bad idea.