The inhabitants of the penal planet Botany had fought a grim and dangerous war to free themselves from their Eosi overlords. Now the Eosi were gone, and both Botany and Earth were free again - but in serious trouble as the theft of all their communications satellites by the Catteni (working with their Eosi masters) had left them isolated and in a desperate situation. Hoping that everything stolen from them had been returned, they found that Catteni greed had triumphed. he merchants of Barevi refused to give up the stolen goods unless a substantial ransom was paid. Earth was in a partcularly bad way- disease, vandalism, starvation and the breakdown of their mechanical world had left its people fighting for survival. They desperately needed the goods the Barevi were hoarding. And so Zainal, Kris and a corageous team from Botany set off to try and outwit the theiving merchants. But their expedition led to a horrifyig replay of an old nightmare for Kris - and only Zainal could save her and the future of both Earth and Botany.