Captain Pyr Dhakynn Kaddani is one of the People. He is also a pirate and a telepath with extraordinary hearing and strength. None of which prevents his being fatally poisoned with stralisara. Physician and wife of Captain Merkrates of the United Systems ship Tigris, Roxanne is also a Kaltiri, a telepath who can heal. On their journey to heal a planet overcome by plague, her ship is attacked and captured by slavers, but in a twist of fate, Pyr s ship attacks the slaver. On board the slaver he recognizes Roxy for a Kaltiri and claims healing from her then claims all of her as well. Now begins their true adventure: the hunt for the origin of the plague and the fight to save the worlds.