Humanity has only recently ventured beyond the Solar System and is beginning the timid exploration of distant exoplanets. The Earth Alliance, which appeared immediately after first contact, seeks to take a worthy place among the many stellar factions. The aggressively hypocritical policy of humans causes bewilderment and anger among the galacts. To prove that humans can become useful allies, the Earth Alliance secures the enlistment of quantor Dmitry Alyoshin as a recruit.
Quantors are endowed with extraordinary powers and enjoy the respect of the entire stellar community, but joining the brotherhood requires passing many severe trials. They await the hero on the planet Khloria, where barbarism and bloody dedric sacrifices coexist with high technology. Meanwhile, the forces that nearly destroyed Earth are preparing to finish what they started, seeing humans as an obstacle on the path to galactic dominion. Alyoshin accidentally comes into possession of important information from an ancient daedre relay, and the sectarians of the Cult of the Waiting begin a real hunt for him.