Kine Raelne and his crew came to Quarn on a desperate, illegal mission to try to save his home planet. Captured and condemned to death for their crime, he and two other mission survivors are offered a chance to redeem themselves--and to go home, if they're lucky. But it means working with a bunch of Quarnians who have every reason to distrust them. Suaj qel Gwan knows what it's like to be the outsider, and he has more cause than most to hate Raelne and his kind for what they did. Suaj's telepathic ability might mean he has to work with the offworlders, but it doesn't mean he has to like it. As they learn to work together to achieve their goals, Raelne and Suaj find within each other a reason to reach beyond their ingrained prejudice. But there are others who would use their fragile trust to achieve their own ends....