A thousand years into the future: Humanity, having overpopulated and depleted five planets, seeks a new home. Five hundred light-years across the cosmos, Tarik beckons. Soon, the first generation of Tarik-born humans reaches maturity: a new breed of colonists ready to explore the planet's rich and diverse life. When nature-loving Timothy embarks on a trip to secure his future as an aspiring biologist, he meets cabin attendant Jessica, a beautiful young woman yet to find her place in the world. Then comes a terrifying crash. As sole survivors stranded in the middle of a primaeval forest, they must work together to make it back to Timothy's home. Their journey brings them closer and teaches them more about Tarik and its wild and intelligent life than any textbook could. Soon, they learn to communicate telepathically with the planet's intelligent beings. But just as they begin to feel at one with Tarik and its lifeforms, the threat of humanity resurfaces when they encounter criminal colonists determined to slaughter the intelligent creatures for profit and start an interspecies war in the process. Can they save Tarik and its inhabitants from the worst of humankind? And in doing so, will they finally forge a new purpose and path for themselves and our kind? Only Tarik knows.