Wanted space-pirate Veerna Vold has evaded capture at every turn, usually leaving a trail of bodies in her wake. But when she is cornered by slavers and allows herself to be captured by the Federation, she ends up in a problem even she can't escape from. Yulia Threden survived the plague and subsequent destruction of her home planet of Atoni, marking her as the last of her kind. Slavers, space-pirates, and the Federation all want to get their hands on Yulia as the plague that destroyed the Atonians begins to threaten the rest of the galaxy. Veerna, together with siblings Xander and Suzan and her psychologist Don, struggle to protect Yulia from all angles and give the girl a chance at her own free life. But can Veerna avoid all her enemies forever?