Humans are not at the top of the food chain. While a few brave humans are ready to fight to regain their freedom from their alien conquerors, the future of the human race falls on Khara, a woman who doesn't give a damn about their cause or freedom. It's aliens against humans and humans are losing the battle. Or are they? Nestra – the alien Queen’s Shame Receptor – struggles with loyalty to her Queen. As the humans plot revolution, the alien Queen’s madness creates a rift between infected and uninfected aliens. Will the forbidden friendship that develops between Khara and Nestra show them all a new way – coexistence? Or will the human race finally be eliminated once and for all? This gritty alien invasion story is told from both human and alien points of view, a la C.J. Cherryh, and puts a new twist on the idea of “first contact.”