As the interplanetary human civil war looms, Seth Harthset, a terraforming engineer and a rare telepath, stays far from the conflict on a distant planet. He fears they will learn he is a rogue telepath. The ruthless Emperor forces the few human telepaths to spy for him. After seeing what telepaths can do, Seth vows he will never use his unique ability. Seth has visions of disasters about to happen, but only when they happen to others. He has had another vision his entire life, this of a beautiful woman. He doesn't know who she is but believes he will find her someday. Seth's visions don't warn him when Imperial Guards kidnap him and bring him to the planet Klatania, the seat of the human Empire. He fears they've learned he is a telepath. They haven't, but they share a secret of the Empire's with him. Throughout the 600 years humans have spread out into the galaxy, they have never found another intelligent species. Thirty years ago, a moon was discovered on the other side of a wormhole where intelligent aliens called the Alenians once lived. The Alenians mysteriously vanished, and humans have been on the moon since it was discovered, studying the Alenian technology. Days ago, the researchers on the moon went insane and began killing each other. They force Seth to join a team of specialists who will go to the moon to learn what happened to the researchers. He doesn't know why they want him on this mission, only that there is a chance none of them will return from it.