One thousands years from now humanity is spread over the entire neighborhood of the Galactic arm, united loosely in the Confederation, a political alliance of sovereign metropolis-planets and their affiliated world-colonies. Each of the metropolis developed space flight independently, adhering to the Confederation once they came in contact with it. This simple fact is also the greatest mystery: while all known civilizations are human, as shown by genetic studies, they all have separate recorded histories lacking any recollection of pre-spatial contact. This mystery of human history collides with contemporary political drama when the Xingeli, young representative of Terra on the Confederation Council, is kidnapped and brought to the backwater planet of Krisantos. Through the small towns of the planet and the wilderness of the North-West of the continent, Xingeli will encounter new friends and mortal enemies, and together with his kidnappers and the confederate agents sent to rescue him will discover how genes and physics have conspired to spread humans to the stars.