Banished because of their renegade experimentation with human genetics, a handful of scientists settle on the uninhabited planet of Ilia. Here theory becomes reality as they mold human plasm into new races unlike any mankind has seen: shape-shifting Lianis, rebellious Ganus, and the fierce Rhodarus. But the geneticists do not prepare the light-hearted Lianis for a Ganu uprising 500 years later. Queen Sivell is young and unpolished but possesses an unerring wisdom, rare in Lianis of any age. As she ascends to the throne, battle among the Lian races has already begun. Sivell's own unique ancestry and her new-found knowledge of Lian origins could bring peace to her world or death to her people.