The Alliance of Interstellar Beings (AOIB), an alien interplanetary organization, is visited by a human named Andrew Lockeford, who happens to be part of a forbidden species. Since he has contacted them by accident, they decide to keep him for study and train him as a genetically-engineered soldier. Andrew mentions that he was abducted by the Selentors, an enemy of the AOIB, although he managed to escape with the help of a sentient robot. As the story progresses, secrets are revealed, the division between good and bad blurs, and the suspense tightens as problems only get worse. All the while, Andrew can't help but ponder over many things, such as artificiality, hypocrisy, the significance of the individual, and even the purpose of life.