After three generations, life on the Martian frontier is still raw and marginal. Jefferson Brodie believes extending the maglev rails south to the polar cap would alleviate most of the hardships by bringing needed water and ice to the settlers. Life gets complicated when a nosy reporter from Earth shows up along with the Regional Planetary Environment Control breathing down his neck to halt the rail construction, threatening not only Brodie's dream, but the settlers' very survival.

Retrieving a priceless artifact from the Imperial vaults, Michiri, daughter of the Emperor of the Laughing Rains, embarks on a perilous journey to restore the artifact to it's rightful owners--the people of the Iron Mountains--and her people's enemies. Caught between the opposing forces of the Laughing Rains and the Iron Mountains, can she survive long enough to end the centuries old rivalry and bring a lasting healing and peace to both peoples?

Trapped in a universe far from his own, Kynan Craig must overcome, not only the political and military agendas of a strange world, but his own spiritual doubts in order to save that which will spell revolution in his own universe.

Life on the Martian frontier is still raw and unpredictable -- even after three generations. If the cold doesn't get you, the thin air might. Or the lack of water. Still, it's the only life for Matt Brodie. But when an Earth business franchise puts his ranchero at risk and threatens the life of the woman he loves, Brodie will risk everything to protect his way of life.