Cece Robin is a simple fourth-grade schoolteacher. A chance meeting with a splinter group of the Resistance changes her life. She would never dream of getting involved in their plot to assassinate the Taelon leader Zo'or she'd never kill anyone-not even an alien Taelon! Her refusal makes her dangerous to the Resistance-and a suspect in the eyes of the Taelons. By great good luck she meets up with Augur, whom she puts in a terrible fix. He-the ultimate loner, whose credo is "I'm out for nobody but myself"-risks his cover, his life, and worst of all, possibly, the loss of some income, to save his favorite teacher from the Taelons and the Resistance. Can Augur save Cece without crippling the Resistance and destroying humanity's hope for the future? Maybe. But for sure, he's really going to mess up his social life!