After meeting the Heechee, people learned about the Enemy—mysterious, alien, and, above all, non-corporeal creatures that had previously hunted down and exterminated sentient life across the galaxy. After identifying the Enemy’s location—Kugelblitz far out in open space—people, with support from the Heechee, built a gigantic Ring around it, meant to warn of an invasion. But what are the true intentions and motives of these incorporeal beings? The answer to this question will reveal the Enemy’s plans for the entire universe and its physical inhabitants.