Zakonchilas' dlitel'naya mezhgalakticheskaya voyna, naemnik Gellard da Ridas rassorilsya s suprugoy, kotoraya ustala ego zhdat'. Chtob khot' nemnogo otdokhnut' ot kosmicheskikh bitv i politiki, Gellard reshaet uletet' na dalekuyu planetu so svoim trekhletnim synom. On neudachno saditsya na bol'shoy passazhirskiy korabl'. Etot korabl' zakhvatyvayut kosmicheskie piraty, nanyatye mogushchestvennym pravitelem galakticheskoy derzhavy. Gela ssylayut vmeste s synishkoy na dalekuyu dikuyu planetu Senp, naselennuyu magami, oborotnyami, lyud'mi i drugimi chudovishchami. S Gelom v ssylku sluchayno popadaet nezadachlivyy bessmertnyy Kerfi. Na planete Senp Gelard vstrechaet razlichnykh lyudey i ne tol'ko korennykh mestnykh zhiteley. Smozhet li Gel vyzhit' sam, sokhranit' bestsennuyu zhizn' syna i vybrat'sya obratno k tsivilizatsii, i kto on na samom dele, vy uznaete, prochitav etot roman.