What a rotten way for everything to turn out. Freighter pilot Marta Grayline is grounded, trapped on her miserable home planet by an intrasystem war that's separated her from her beautiful girlfriend, her career, and everything she loves. When her sister Beth offers her a way out by enlisting in the Novan Emergency Fleet, Marta jumps at the opportunity to get back into space. But when her ship is attacked and destroyed, she finds herself stranded on a mysterious space station with a crew that won't answer her questions. And, of course, then there's the aliens - the planet-destroying Abrax that somehow seem to have a hold on Beth. They're coming for Marta, too. She'll have to face ancient forces, her own doubts, and the inside of an alien mind if she wants to get some answers, complete her mission, and unlock her own latent potential. The Daughter Star, the red beacon in the night sky, may yet be the key to the freedom and understanding Marta so desperately wants.