Maria Rodrigues' parents were not who they seemed, and so the girl is raised apart from them, hiding without understanding. As she grows into adulthood and becomes enthralled by environmental activism, she meets a man whose genius is tempered by his questionable ethics, coming to learn that the lines between what is right and what is necessary are so easily blurred. Philosophy, ethics and science are at odds as a disparate cast of soldiers, technicians and explorers clash in the maelstrom surrounding the Ismud project - Earth's first crewed interstellar probe. Some will seek validation for...