A spaceship crashes into the planet Tonath. The lone occupant, a mutant with two hearts, survives and fights his way to the sunlit part of the planet.
After a passing freighter finds him and takes him to the Western Starshift Institute of the Way, he finds the Teacher. Tonath is a planet being torn apart by the forces of nature, and only the Teacher can predict the movement of the stars and interpret the prophecies.
But will the Teacher be able to recognize True Man and True Foe in time to save Tonath from a thousand years of burning?