Wanted fugitives Val Con yos'Phelium and Miri Robertson have jumped from the frying pan directly into the fire, hotly pursued by friends, family, and the nefarious Department of the Interior. While the duo make the risky dash for Lytaxin, seeking safety among Miri's kin, the Department is moving on Val Con's family, Clan Korval, intending to subvert or destroy it. Understanding their danger, Korval's first speaker invokes Plan B, ordering Clan members to scatter to prearranged safe-places. Meanwhile, Miri and Val Con discover that Lytaxin may not be the safe harbor they had supposed . . . and that Miri's retirement from the mercenaries may have been premature.