Llyn Torfinn was discovered in an Artificial Reality tank, with her past destroyed. The last five years have been a not-entirely-successful struggle to readapt her to reality. Now her adopted planet is at war with a mind parasite culture, and, not surprisingly, in this tale of empathy, telepathy, mind parasites, and devastating but inscrutable alien invaders, Llyn's AR experiences turn out to be key to the problem.