Humanity managed to reach Isis, a distant planet where there is life. But that life turns out to be fundamentally hostile to Earth. The program to study it runs into serious problems, and then breakthrough technologies are sent from Earth: a girl named Zoya with an enhanced immune system and a compact bio-protection suit designed to replace bulky spacesuits. But gradually, questions about the prospects of the research program fade into the background, giving way to far more urgent matters.