Lady Caissa's father, Baythan, Minister Plenipotential of the Federated Sentient Planets to Demeathorn, had chosen a husband for her. But just one interview with the prospective groom had convinced her that he was both a coward and a fool, and she refused to be manipulated into such a marriage for the sake of her father's political aspirations. Furious, exasperated, Caissa set off in her speedster for Oriolis -- a forbidden zone near a long abandoned city.

It was an area shrouded in mystery ... for, as the Lady Caissa discovered, it was the last refuge of the coelura -- wondrous, musical creatures driven to the brink of extinction by human greed. Men like Baythan would willingly exploit even the few that remained, unless someone took steps to protect them. And Caissa, together with an enigmatic stranger, was determined to try.