The story begins with the sabotage of starship Arcturus by an agent who has been tricked into believing that the ship was an unmanned drone. When he discovers that the ship not only had a crew, but that one of its members was his own daughter, he embarks on a path of retaliation against his employers. Simultaneously, agents Mist and Ferret, accompanied by an abused child named Meganna, attempt to defuse the threatened war triggered by the destruction of the ship by finding the saboteur. This places all their lives in danger.