Bad fortune seems to be following Addison Mosby like a hungry mongrel. Nearly broke, his small cargo ship the Penelope Jean is full of a cargo he can't sell and is crippled, unable to leave for a different port of call. On top of that, he has to take shelter aboard Meander, the densely populated wandering planetoid that has caused all his troubles in the first place. But about the time he has given up and begun making plans to start over from scratch, his luck turns, and he finds himself suddenly wealthy and embroiled in the dangerous politics of Meander.