In this sequel to "The Osiris String," Sam Buckner, a biogenetic researcher at the University of Toronto, and Melinda Gordon, now Under Secretary of Intelligence and Analysis at Homeland Security are drawn into the quagmire of American politics. Sam's research into the effects of stellar movements on the story of evolution, and the formula he develops, set the stage for a struggle between the "right" and the "left" of the political and religious spectrum. Sam is surprised that his quest for evidence of whom we are as a species, in particular his suggestion that we are not the "rational" creatures we think we are, but rather one that is led and dominated by "symbolism," spurs global controversy. One American veteran takes particular offence to the new theory and sets out on a mission to try to stifle the movement in the US, by eliminating the academics who take up the cause, Sam being the number one target. He soon decides that he can change the course of history, by also targeting the President of the United States, who he believes supports the results of the research and therefore embodies the spirit of the devil himself.