On the winter world of Icefall, young Danlo has grown up among a tribe of humans genetically altered to lead a primitive existence. When his tribe is ravaged by plague, he is forced to give up this simple, spiritual lie to journey across the frozen wastes to the fabled city of Neverness, the teeming center of a vast galactic civilization. Here, a great destiny beckons Danlo -- to pilot a ship to the heart of the galaxy and battle a deadly bloom of light that is consuming worlds and suns as it races toward his planet. But first he must confront the legend of his true father, a bold adventurer who is worshipped as a god -- and the terrible allure of becoming a god himself.