Ben Taylor is a son of the only family on Earth that knows of the powerful Daalronnan Alliance, the fragile association that keeps peace between the galaxy's diverse cultures. What should have been a peaceful vacation goes lethally awry when Ben witnesses a brutal murder. Fleeing the perpetrator, he is thrown into an alien nation's dangerous underworld, a place dominated by vicious gangs, dogmatic extremists, and their allies from the farthest frontiers of space. A criminal movement is growing, threatening to throw the entire planet into chaos. However, before the planet can be saved, Ben must decide who is friend and foe in a world where everyone has connections to the enemy.