Jovita Ló-Rran was much more than a petty thief... ...But who doesn't love an adventure? Thousands of years in the future and millions of light years away, the Ground is probably the worst place to live in the known universe and is definitely the worst part of the city-planet Yilzoc. There is almost nothing Jovita wants more than an escape until she finds adventure in the form of a ring with a pricey reward. Leaving the Ground and her brother, Zoren, for the first time, Jo meets Neo, a boy from the Sky - the highest level of Yilzoc. In exchange for his ring and her accepting an invitation to a dinner party, he agrees to hire a ship and crew for Jo so she can leave the planet, but a chance encounter with the head of the Council of United System sends Jo running from their deal. Jo, Neo, and Zoren join a team of outcasts and runaways on the Cyphris and leave Yilzoc. As they travel through a universe tettering on the edge of galactic war, it becomes clear that Jo is not what she seems. Will it be too late for the others when they learn the truth? Is it already too late for Jovita to escape?