In the wake of the Tholian attack that nearly cost him his life, civilian strategic consultant Kyle Riker becomes the target of an apparent conspiracy within Starfleet Command, forcing him off Earth and even beyond Federation territory to evade attempts on his life. But danger is never far off, even on a backwater world where Kyle's very name brings the promise of death. Meanwhile Kyle's estranged son Will is forging a career in Starfleet. And even as Kyle searches for the truth behind the events that have made him a fugitive, Will is running from his own demons -- the family legacy he fears he will never escape. Will and his father are two men defined by the personal tragedy that drove them apart. Both are driven by their desire to serve and their devotion to duty. Both are haunted by the past and uncertain of the future -- and both are unable to reach across the chasm that separates father from son.